ForestEthics : Protect Forests and Our Climate

Fourth Annual �Green Grades� Report Card finds FedEx, Office Depot & Staples Leading, Amazon & Costco Lagging on Key Eco-Issues

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Major office supply companies and retailers received their report cards today, and while the sector saw overall progress on critical sustainability issues such as Endangered Forest protection, several prominent brands continue bad habits that harm the world�s forests, air, and water.

Now in its 4th year, the Green Grades report card informs American consumers and large purchasers of paper products on what companies are doing�or not doing�to safeguard the environment and the world�s forests.

Download the 2010 report card here >>

While FedEx Office, Staples and Office Depot continue to lead the pack and build upon already high standards, companies such as Amazon.com, Costco and xpedx continue to fall short on critical questions about the sustainability of their products and processes. In the middle are companies such as Target and PaperlinX, each of which are adopting new green paper purchasing policies which, though they leave some key questions unanswered, represent important progress toward really making the grade.

�Office retailers FedEx Office, Staples and Office Depot continue to lead the pack, not only cleaning up their act but also undertaking projects to protect Endangered Forests and improve logging practices on the ground in the regions from which they buy their paper,� said Andrew Goldberg of Dogwood Alliance. �Unfortunately a number of distributors and big box companies are still stuck on the basics�buying paper from bad actors and sensitive areas around the globe. Their grades reflect these shortcomings.�

The 2010 Green Grades features a new category, SFI Greenwash, to address rampant use of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative�s phony eco-label on office supply products. SFI labels and certification provide �green� cover for harmful practices such as large-scale clearcutting, Endangered Forest logging, and conversion of forests to sterile tree plantations.

�It�s a shame that some US wood and paper producers are spending millions to mislead consumers with SFI marketing,� said Daniel Hall of ForestEthics. �That money would be much better spent on protecting remaining natural areas and endangered species� habitats, and restoring watersheds hard hit by years of excessive industrial logging.�

A big factor in how these companies impact the environment is whom they choose to do business with. Unfortunately, most of the companies continue to buy from infamous paper companies such as Memphis-based International Paper (IP). IP is aggressively pushing for the introduction of dangerous genetically engineered trees into US forests. Meanwhile, PaperlinX�s North American operations are joining a number of other office companies that are avoiding Asia Pulp and Paper, a notorious Indonesian company responsible for massive destruction of some of the globe�s last remaining old growth rainforests.

This edition marks the fourth straight year that environmental groups Dogwood Alliance and ForestEthics have collaborated on Green Grades, and the report card has helped catalyze considerable progress by the sector over the years. For example, this year�s grades reflect a growing commitment to protecting Endangered Forests around the globe and increased scrutiny of the impact of company paper habits on global climate. There is also an increased commitment from a number of companies to better practices via use of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification system.

Download the 2010 report card here >>

Green Grades 2010: A Report Card on the Paper Practices of the Office Supply Sector

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Find out more about the grades by clicking on the image above.

Since the release of ForestEthics and Dogwood Alliance's first Green Grades Report Card in 2007, some of the world's most well-known office supply retailers and largest distributors have made big environmental commitments that help protect forests. The progress continues with the 2010 edition of Green Grades.

Download the .pdf of the full Green Grades 2010 Report Card >>

Consumers should applaud the progress�and exercise discretion. All of the companies have room for improvement, and some have done little to ensure their products are environmentally responsible. Questions also remain about companies not covered in our scorecard.

Drawing from a company survey and our own research, the report card rates the office companies on seven forest-related environmental categories: Chain of Custody, Endangered Forests, Plantations & Other Controversial Sources, SFI Greenwash, Recycling & Reduction, FSC Certification, and Other Leadership.

Read our press release >>

Some of the following companies get A's, some companies are class clowns, and some fall in between: Amazon.com, Costco, FedEx Office, Office Depot, OfficeMax, PaperlinX/Spicers, Staples, Target, Unisource, United Stationers, Walmart/Sam's Club, and xpedx.

Download the .pdf of the full Green Grades 2010 Report Card >>

CBC Radio -- ForestEthics' Aaron Sanger interviewed on "Calgary Eye Opener" program

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Supporters Rally for Federal Tanker Ban Outside Enbridge Office as Review Panel Comes to B.C.

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 PDT

(Vancouver, B.C.) � More than 200 supporters rallied today at Enbridge�s Northern Gateway Pipelines headquarters and marched to the Vancouver Art Gallery in support of a federal crude oil tanker ban. The federal panel to review Enbridge�s controversial project, that would bring over 225 crude oil tankers to B.C.�s Pacific north coast for the first time, conducted its first public meeting in Kitimat where a regional protest greeted them.

Get High Resolution photos >>

�While Enbridge�s project would introduce oil tankers to our northern coast and threaten the Great Bear Rainforest, they have no liability for when an oil spill would happen,� said Nikki Skuce, ForestEthics Energy Campaigner. �A legislated federal oil tanker ban for our north coast is the most effective way for protecting British Columbia�s valuable northern coast from an inevitable catastrophe.�

Coastal First Nations have already declared a ban under their traditional laws on tankers carrying tar sands crude oil in their territorial waters. Federal legislation would demonstrate Parliament�s shared commitment to safeguarding the Pacific. There are currently no crude oil tankers travelling the inside waters of B.C.�s north and central coast.

�Since BP�s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and Enbridge�s catastrophic pipeline spill into the Kalamazoo River, confidence in the ability for Enbridge or anyone else to be able to respond effectively to an oil spill on our rocky coast is gone,� said Stephanie Goodwin, Greenpeace B.C. Director.

ForestEthics commissioned a poll in May 2010 by the Mustel Group that showed 80 percent of British Columbians support a ban on crude oil tankers.

In June, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff expressed commitment to a legislated oil tanker ban for British Columbia�s North coast. NDP Finn Donnelly currently has a private member�s bill on this issue. Federal Members of Parliament from the Liberal Party and NDP were at the Vancouver rally.

�Polling shows that support for an oil tanker ban stays strong across the political spectrum,� said Eric Swanson of Dogwood Initiative. �We expect legislation to be advanced in some form this fall, and local Conservative MPs will be hard pressed to defend their government if it stands in the way.�

The Vancouver rally was held in solidarity with a Kitimat rally where hundreds gathered outside the first National Energy Board public hearings on the pipelines proposal in British Columbia. Speakers at the event in opposition to Enbridge�s controversial proposal included several First Nations leaders, NDP MP Nathan Cullen and municipal leaders opposed to the project. First Nations from communities along the proposed pipeline and tanker routes had a strong presence at the Kitimat event.

For more information, contact:

High resolution digital photos available for download at http://www.flickr.com/photos/forestethics/sets/72157624851427374/

Broadcast quality video of the Kitimat event available by contacting 250-877-9745

Major US companies act to clean up their transportation footprints

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Big news: Some of the world's most prominent brands recently took different actions to reduce the environmental and social impacts � including carbon emissions � that come from fossil-fueled transportation of their products.

Old news: Producing transportation fuel from Canada's Tar Sands is more destructive, polluting, and carbon intensive than other ways of producing fossil fuel.

As the world does the math to figure out what these two facts mean, here are some facts about the newest examples of the accelerating corporate shift toward a cleaner energy future:

Walgreens¹ has clearly decided to eliminate Canada's Tar Sands from its transportation footprint. Recent actions by Gap Inc.², Levi Strauss & Co.³, Timberland⁴ and FedEx⁵ are not specifically focused on Canada's Tar Sands, but they are relevant because fuels from Tar Sands are higher in carbon and other environmental and social impacts than conventional fuels. And each of these companies has said, in its own way, that it wants to reduce the environmental and social impacts of transporting products.

Though avoiding transportation fueled by Tar Sands is required for each of these companies to achieve that goal, we have never said that any of these companies are boycotting Canada's Tar Sands. The term �boycott� was used erroneously by The Canadian Press (CP) in its first report of the news, and CP has now admitted the error.⁶

We look forward to speaking with more companies about their consumption of high carbon fuels such as those from Canada's Tar Sands. We are confident that more companies � in their own way � will follow the leadership examples of Walgreens, Gap Inc., Levi Strauss & Co., Timberland and FedEx.

¹ http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/more-major-us-corporations-join-boycott-of-alberta-oilsands-fuel-101600508.html

²"As part of Gap Inc.'s commitment to reduce its overall environmental footprint, and to guide its selection of transportation providers, we have asked potential transportation providers who want to work with Gap Inc. to provide some details about what they are doing � or planning to do � to eliminate high carbon-intensive fuels." � Company email to customers, August 27, 2010.

³"Levi Strauss & Co. informed all transportation providers that we will give preference to low-carbon fuels and transportation services with lower-than-normal greenhouse gas footprints and environmental and social impacts." � Company email to ForestEthics, August 24, 2010.

⁴ http://www.earthkeeper.com/blog/corporate-social-responsibility/reducing-emissions-not-boycotting-fuel/

⁵ http://ca.news.finance.yahoo.com/s/26082010/2/biz-finance-major-u-s-corporations-join-boycott-alberta-oilsands.html

⁶ http://www.oilweek.com/news.asp?ID=29653

CBC News -- U.S. businesses join anti-oilsands campaign

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Excerpted from CBC News�read the full article here:

Four more major U.S. companies have joined a movement to boycott or at least reduce the use of fuels made from oilsands crude.

Walgreens, with its 7,500 drugstores, says it's switching fuel suppliers for its delivery trucks.

And The Gap, Timberland and Levi Strauss have all told their transportation contractors they will give preference to those who avoid oilsands fuels.

The group Forest Ethics, which has offices in Toronto, Vancouver, San Francisco and Bellingham, Wash., is behind the campaign aimed at pressuring the petroleum industry and the Alberta government to reduce the oilsands' impact on the environment.

Read the full article >>

AOL Stylelist -- Angela Lindvall Stars in John Hardy Fall Campaign, Launches Sustainable Jewelry Line

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Nineties uber-model Angela Lindvall is back in the game this season -- although she never completely left -- walking the runway in Paris, gracing the cover of British Vogue, landing Prada's most recent campaign, and now John Hardy's new Fall 2010 ads.

The articulate and eco-conscious 31 year-old -- she makes the "dumb model" stereotype go completely out the window -- is not only the new face of the green jewelry brand but she's also collaborating with creative director Guy Bedarida on a capsule collection for charity.

Lindvall and Bedarida's line, dubbed Hijau ("green" in Balinese), is inspired by the look of sliced bamboo and features rings, bangles, earrings, and cuffs made from recycled and sustainable silver.

Ten percent of the proceeds from the pieces, which retail from $295 to $3,000, will go to ForestEthics, an organization devoted to protecting endangered forests and wildlife.

The duo also created a more simple and affordable $95 woven organic-cotton cord bracelet, which will support ForestEthics with 100 percent of proceeds.

In this exclusive behind-the-scenes video, Lindvall is seen at Hardy's self-sustaining company headquarters in Bali, where she and Bedarida worked with local artisans to create the collection. The model is also shown posing for the steamy Fall ads in which the Midwestern mother of two goes topless while hugging pieces of Balinese bamboo and wearing Hardy's latest collection.

Don't expect Lindvall's relationship with John Hardy to end anytime soon. The model has signed on to be a spokesperson for the company's green initiatives, something she's been devoted to way before it was trendy.

Enbridge's Michigan oil spill

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Crews are scrambling to clean up the 3.3 million litre oil spill in Michigan that has flowed into the Kalamazoo River caused by an Enbridge pipeline leak.

Enbridge is the same energy corporation that is proposing the Northern Gateway pipeline project that would plow through British Columbia and bring over 200 tankers to the pristine coast of British Columbia. The Michigan oil spill only validates the concerns of Coastal First Nations along the coast and the 80% of British Columbians that oppose the Northern Gateway project: First Nations slam Enbridge for the Michigan oil spill (Canadian Press).

"The company has promised again and again that it will have the best technology for Northern Gateway (see an ad example in the Vancouver Sun here) and that it would be able to tell within five minutes if there was a leak and shut it off," says ForestEthics Senior Energy Campaigner Nikki Skuce (Vancouver Sun). "With this latest spill, Enbridge is effectively making its own argument against the Northern Gateway Pipeline" (Calgary Herald and Canoe.ca).

As Canadian geese get covered in black grease and dead fish float to the oil-slicked surface (photos here), Enbridge CEO Patrick Daniel claims that "he would take the learnings [sic] (from the Michigan oil spill accident) and apply them to the operation of the (Northern Gateway) pipeline" (Edmonton Journal).

Michigan oil spill shows B.C. that Enbridge can't be trusted

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Vancouver � Enbridge's devastating spill in south-central Michigan will undermine the company's credibility and strengthen grassroots opposition to the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline, say campaigners with ForestEthics.

On Monday, the 30-inch Enbridge Lakehead pipeline carrying crude oil from Indiana to Ontario suffered an underground break in Michigan. At least 3 million litres of crude oil leaked into a nearby creek and flowed into the Kalamazoo River. It is being called the largest environmental disaster in the history of the Midwest.

�With this latest spill, Enbridge is effectively making its own argument against the Northern Gateway Pipeline,� said Nikki Skuce, Senior Energy Campaigner with ForestEthics.

Enbridge spokesman Alan Roth was quoted in a northern B.C. newspaper recently saying, ��pipelines don't effect or impact any watersheds as they don't emit anything or take anything in.�

�Enbridge makes bold promises of safety but it looks more like they're promising us a big disaster,� said Skuce. �More and more British Columbians are going to be looking at the impact of recent oil spills and deciding they don't want northwest B.C. to act as a tar sands transportation corridor.�

Michigan authorities are criticizing Enbridge's response to the oil spill. Congressman Mark Schauer said Enbridge was �slow to respond� and Governor Jennifer Granholm called the oil company�s response �anemic�.

�A private citizen in Michigan smelled oil and reported the spill to authorities,� said Skuce. �If this had occurred in the remote mountains of Northwest B.C., an even greater amount of oil would have likely spilled before Enbridge even discovered the problem.�

The National Energy Board reports that for every 1,000 kilometres of large diameter pipeline in Canada there is a major rupture every 16 years. The proposed Northern Gateway pipeline would run 1,250 kilometres long from the tar sands to a port in Kitimat.

In January, an Enbridge pipeline in North Dakota spilled 504,000 litres of crude oil into a nearby stream. Last year, the company was fined $1.1 million for over 500 environmental violations related to pipeline construction in Wisconsin.

Enbridge filed its application with the National Energy Board for the Northern Gateway pipeline in May. Preliminary hearings are set to begin in August.

Boho Magazine -- Forestry Father

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Todd Paglia, Executive Director for Forest Ethics, lives a life full of family, activism, and the great outdoors. Paglia found his calling as an activist while working as a consumer protection attorney for Ralph Nader. �It was one of the best experiences in my life,� Paglia reminisces. �Working for Ralph was working for the people. It was worth it. I was rescued.� Paglia joined Forest Ethics in 1999. Forest Ethics is a non-profit, environmental organization that seeks to protect nature, wildlife, and human welfare. �My career and my life came from Clayoquot,� Paglia confesses. He met his wife, Shannon Wright, while fighting to save the river valley of Clayoquot Sound. Today, biking to work as much as he can, Paglia lives his beliefs both in the office and out. �

Read the full feature >>

Federal Liberal support for B.C. oil tanker ban applauded

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Environmental groups are praising Michael Ignatieff and the Liberal Party of Canada for their commitment today to formalize the oil tanker ban in British Columbia. Such a ban would prevent crude oil tankers from traveling through BC�s Central and North Coast.

�Michael Ignatieff�s announcement to formalize the ban on oil tankers is precisely the kind of leadership we need on this issue. We thank him for making the commitment to ensure that the marine life, people, and economy of coastal BC is protected from catastrophic oil spills,� says Jennifer Lash, Executive Director of the Living Oceans Society.

Last month, Enbridge filed its application for the Northern Gateway Pipeline, which would carry tar sands oil to a supertanker port at Kitimat and bring 225 oil tankers per year to B.C.�s North Coast. Environmental groups, including Dogwood Initiative, Forest Ethics, Living Oceans Society, and West Coast Environmental Law have been calling for a permanent, legislated ban on crude oil tankers to protect the coast from oil spills.

�The only way we can ensure that the ban on tankers is strong enough to withstand pressure from oil companies is to formalize it through permanent legislation,� says Josh Paterson, Staff Lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law. �With today�s announcement, we believe there is enough support among all opposition parties in the House of Commons to make this happen soon. As Liberal leader, Mr. Ignatieff can play a pivotal role in passing legislation to ban tankers.�

Support for a ban on oil tankers has risen since the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. A poll conducted in May 2010 by the Mustel Group showed that 80 percent of British Columbians support a ban on crude oil tankers.

�The images of oil drenching the shorelines from the BP spill have reminded British Columbians how fortunate we are to have an oil-free coast,� stated Nikki Skuce Senior Energy Campaigner at ForestEthics. �With today�s announcement by the Liberal Party of Canada, we are one step closer to giving the people of B.C. what they have wanted for a long time: a legislated ban on oil tankers.�

Coastal First Nations have already declared a ban under their traditional laws on oil tankers in their territorial waters. Federal legislation would demonstrate Parliament�s shared commitment to safeguarding the Pacific. There are currently no crude oil tankers travelling the inside waters of B.C.�s north and central coast.

�In light of the Liberal announcement today, Enbridge should formally withdraw their proposal to build a pipeline to Kitimat,� added Eric Swanson, Corporate Campaigner at the Dogwood Initiative. �It is a waste of time and taxpayers� money to conduct a review of this project if the will of Parliament is to enact a permanent tanker ban.�

Media Roundup: US city stands with companies against Tar Sands

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:00:00 PDT

An example of the notorious "Tar Sands PR machine." Like peanut butter? Seriously?

The resolution passed last week by the Bellingham, Washington city council was the latest in a series of actions taken by companies or municipalities to address their use of fuel from Canada's controversial Tar Sands. Passed by a unanimous 7-0 vote, the resolution resolves to find lower carbon alternatives to Tar Sands and other fuels, and decrease overall fossil fuel consumption.

The Canadian press took notice of this latest signal of an increasingly uncertain marketplace for the Tar Sands south of the border. The Globe & Mail noted that the resolution was "another volley fired at the oil sands over their emissions profile", while CBC TV went down to the city to talk to residents and local politicians. The Province took a dim view of the anti-Tar Sands movement and the effort by Bellingham to mind its carbon footprint, but quoted our own energy campaigner, Nikki Skuce, as saying that "cities and companies are not buying Canada's Tar Sands PR machine". At left, check out a ridiculous example this "PR machine" >>

"As It Happens," a widely-syndicated radio program of CBC Radio interviewed resolution sponsor Jack Weiss, who talked of Bellingham's tragic history with oil. Listen to it here:

CBC Radio also interviewed Weiss on a separate news program, while CBC World found Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach desperately trying to make lemonade out of lemons. Or is that oil out of dirt? MetroNews Calgary also quoted the Premier, while the Edmonton Journal noted that the Bellingham resolution expressed concern over the health impacts of Tar Sands operations in Alberta.

The Tyee quoted Nikki talking about starting down the path to a clean energy future, while Vancouver weekly Georgia Straight found the mayor of North Vancouver "quite impressed" with the action taken down south.

KEY U.S. CITY ACTS TO AVOID 'DIRTY' TAR SANDS FUEL

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:00:00 PDT

The city of Bellingham, Washington has resolved to avoid fuel from refineries connected to Canada�s Tar Sands, becoming the first city in the United States to take action against the controversial fossil fuel. Citing concerns about the Tar Sands� toxic impacts on the climate, water and the city�s own greenhouse gas reduction goals, the Bellingham city council last night unanimously passed two anti-Tar Sands resolutions sponsored by councilperson Jack Weiss.

Bellingham has served as one of two major entry points for the Tar Sands (the other is Billings, Montana), and its anti-Tar Sands resolutions underscore the challenges facing Canada�s Tar Sands in the United States as details spread of its impact on local and global communities.

�American cities and Fortune 500 companies are strengthening their resolve against oil from Canada�s Tar Sands,� said ForestEthics US Campaigns Director Aaron Sanger. �The market for toxic fuel from refineries taking Canada's Tar Sands is becoming more uncertain, and it will become even more uncertain as the local and global impacts of Tar Sands become more widely known."

The Bellingham resolution mirrors actions taken by corporate America at the request of ForestEthics. To date, ten major US companies have taken action to reduce or eliminate Canada�s Tar Sands in their transportation footprints. ForestEthics announced action by two of these companies--Whole Foods and Bed Bath & Beyond--in February. Public announcement of actions taken by other Fortune 500 companies is expected sometime this summer.

Tar Sands oil production generates 3-5 times the greenhouse gas emissions of conventional oil production. Production of Tar Sands oil destroys fresh drinking water, pollutes the air, and razes North America�s ecologically critical Boreal Forests. Communities downstream of Tar Sands projects are facing elevated levels of cancer. Tar Sands sludge, extracted primarily in the province of Alberta, cannot be made clean by technological solutions. A recent report released by Corporate Ethics International, Earthworks, NRDC, and the Sierra Club details health risks from refineries which process Tar Sands that are not associated with refineries which process more conventional forms of oil.

Enbridge files BC crude oil plan as Gulf turns black

Thu, 27 May 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Vancouver, BC � Enbridge is steamrolling ahead with its plan for a Tar Sands pipeline and crude oil tankers on the BC coast, despite strong public opposition.

The company filed its application for the controversial Northern Gateway mega-project today with the National Energy Board.

"We are extremely disappointed Enbridge has chosen to ignore the majority of British Columbians and coastal First Nations. Eight in ten British Columbians do not want crude oil tanker traffic in their coastal waters," said Nikki Skuce, Senior Energy Campaigner with ForestEthics. "This is an inherently unsustainable project that places BC's spectacular coast at imminent risk of a major oil spill."

"We are going to see an unprecedented uprising against this project," added Skuce. "Enbridge wants to turn a blind eye to the environmental conflict they're creating, but opposition to this project is widespread and people are not going to let it happen."

Skuce noted that Enbridge chose to file at a time when the southeast US is bracing for the devastating impacts of the BP oil spill.

"The Gulf spill is a turning point for all risky oil development projects. Enbridge's proposal is the way of the past, not the way of the future."

Enbridge's filing kicks off a federal review process that could take years.

"The National Energy Board review is a process run by the oil industry for the oil industry. It approves 99 percent of the projects it reviews and none of the panel members are from the region. How can communities place any faith that this process will protect their coast?" questioned Skuce.

Enbridge is proposing to bring oil supertankers into the same waters where the BC ferry Queen of the North sank in 2006.

Saturday, residents of Northwest BC will join First Nations in Kitamaat Village for a major gathering aimed at re-affirming opposition to the Enbridge project.

CFAX Radio -- "Straight Talk" about Enbridge pipeline proposals

Wed, 26 May 2010 00:00:00 PDT

ForestEthics' Sr. Energy Campaigner, Nikki Skuce, talks about the overwhelming opposition to the proposed Enbridge pipelines in BC. Specifically, she discusses a recent Mustel poll. The poll�s key findings:

80 percent of British Columbians support a crude oil tanker ban for BC�s coastal waters, while 15 percent think tanker traffic should be allowed.
Significantly more British Columbians oppose the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline (51 percent), than support it (34 percent).
British Columbians who strongly oppose Enbridge�s pipeline (31.7 percent) outnumber strong supporters (8.1 percent) nearly four to one.

Listen to the interview:

10.05.26_Nikki_CFAX_Poll.mp3