Conservation vs. Restoration

Posted by Veronica on Mar 10th, 2010 in Rainforest Agribusiness | 0 comments

For these last ten days of our expedition, we got on a boat and headed to paradise.  Literally.  The white sandy beaches, swaying palm trees and the warm turquoise waters of Maratua Island were much too picturesque to seem real.  As part of our stay here, we went in two groups to spend a night on nearby Sangalaki Island, previously an ecotourism venture for scuba diving, but now closed off to all except a small group of rangers who live on the island helping protect the sea turtles who come to lay their eggs.  The ecotourism program was closed to give the hatching turtles a more... (continue reading)

Kids Action Toolkit – Now Available!

Posted by Kasha on Mar 8th, 2010 in RYSE, Rainforest Agribusiness | 0 comments

Do you know a kid who loves the rainforest? Do you know a teacher who wants to help? Invite them to be a Rainforest Hero with RAN’s newly updated “Kid’s Action Toolkit.” It talks all about the world’s rainforests, their role in climate change, and what you can do to make a real difference to protect these places and help the people who depend on them. And it’s beautiful! Download the Kids Action Toolkit... (continue reading)

Climate Change Crew Wins 1st Place!!

Posted by Kasha on Mar 6th, 2010 in RYSE | 0 comments

Congrats to our friends, the Climate Change Crew, who just won First Place for their song “Change is Needed” in Green For All’s The Dream Reborn Story Contest! Listen to the song here. This group hails from the Twin Cities; they are Awesome. Here’s what they have to say about it: We are high school students from Minneapolis and St. Paul. We represent the Twin Cities low-income communities of color, whose voices often go unheard when major decisions are made. We work through a lens of understanding that climate change is an “opportune crisis”. We believe that if... (continue reading)

The World is Blue… but for how much longer?

Posted by Jill on Mar 4th, 2010 in Rainforest Agribusiness | 1 comment

Like the vast majority of global conservation, restoration, and preservation efforts, our Ethical Expeditions Borneo 2010 trip has focused in large part on forests – and with good reason. When we burn and log, we lose biodiversity, carbon storage, and water purification services. But as important as the world’s forests are, by focusing exclusively on them with neglect a much larger ecosystem. Here at the end of our expedition, we’ve taken some time to focus on the blue half of the planet, both academically (in our readings and classes) and experientially (on the island of Maratua).... (continue reading)

Reflections on an Epic Direct Action Against MTR

Posted by Lisa R on Mar 3rd, 2010 in Mountain Top Removal | 0 comments

It’s March 3rd! You know what that means? That means that all the fines I accrued from participating in a direct action last June are due to the West Virginia magistrate… and then I’m free! I feel like this is a good time to reflect on that action, as it was a pretty amazing one. Very early in the morning on June 18th, 2009, fourteen activists, including myself, entered Massey Energy’s mountaintop removal mining site near Twilight, West Virginia. We had one goal in sight: to stop all mountaintop removal operations on that site for as long as possible. The trek onto the site was... (continue reading)

Victory for Philly Activists at EPA Rally

Posted by robin on Mar 3rd, 2010 in Mountain Top Removal | 2 comments

Yesterday, a group of 40 concerned community members members rallied outside the Region 3 EPA building on Arch St in Philadelphia, where they demanded that the Agency stop approving new permits for mountaintop removal (MTR) mining. Philly’s Region 3 office reviews MTR permits in Virginia and West Virginia. The crowd chanted “Ending MTR, who has the say? Region 3 of the EPA!”, while myself and fellow Rising Tide activist Josh Yoder attempted to enter the building with a letter for senior Region 3 Administrator Shawn Garvin. We were prepared to risk arrest (apparently entering... (continue reading)

Palm Oil: Sustainable?

Posted by Veronica on Mar 1st, 2010 in Featured, Rainforest Agribusiness | Comments Off

Palm oil is the most productive of all vegetable oils.  Found in most processed foods and various personal products like soap, lotion and cosmetics; it is the most widespread oil on the planet.  It is a better option than alternatives like corn oil or soy, and is less expensive to produce because it produces more oil per hectare of plantation.  The best conditions for growing palm oil are consistent with the tropical belt: hot and humid.  Palm oil grows particularly well in Indonesia where there are less distinct wet and dry seasons and more even annual distribution of rainfall than... (continue reading)

Simplicity and Immunity, Bathrooms and Blessed Unrest

Posted by Jill on Feb 28th, 2010 in Rainforest Agribusiness | 2 comments

Picture for a moment tropical paradise: white sand beaches, sparkling blue ocean, and palm trees arching out over the breaking waves. That’s where I just spent ten days. The island of Maratua is located just off the coast of the Berau region in East Kalimantan. Maratua Island... right out of a storybook Not only a terrestrial paradise, it is located in the Coral Triangle, the most biodiverse region of the world’s oceans. It was here that I had my first snorkeling experience and I was completely blown away. Bright green fish with hot pink and maroon accents, electric blue fish, intricately... (continue reading)