Solutions to Deforestation

Now that we have identified the reasons why we need to help save the rainforest, it is important to also see what is being done and can be done in our everyday lives to make a difference. Most of solutions are on a very small scale basis as it seems as if rainforest destruction does not affect us directly. One big solution is recycling. If everyone recycles, then the need to cut down more trees for logging would be unecessary. Also, it is important to pick foods and products that are eco-friendly as they come from reliable sources. While looking through the internet we found numerous amounts of websites that are dedicated to helping save the rainforest. These websites somehow found the power to 'save an acre' where a person registers and an acre of land is protected against deforestation for a certain amount of money. This is truly a great idea, but not many people know about this great opportunity. To imagine a mass movement to save the rainforest through buying acres would truly be amazing since companies really could not cut down the trees since they are owned. There are billions of people ain the world, and if we donated money to this cause, as a whole the impacts would be so immense. However, many people are oblivious to this huge problem.

The deforestation going on in the rainforests is something very distant from the general citizen. We believe the true issue is within the governments of the world since there are legal and even illegal companies working in the rainforest. The government needs to find alternative ways to provide for the consumers of this world in a way that does not inadvertantly hurt us. Because the rainforest is in another country, we as the United States can't take complete control as the 'peace makers' of the world, but rather work side by side with other countries since we are fighting to save this planet as a whole. Rainforest devastation is truly an issue that is hard to control and regulate since it is so far away, and that is why it keeps on happening. In order to make a difference everyone has to take a part and make a great effort to change things, however, it will take great focus and motivation that is currently hard to find.

We hope that in the coming years, bills and regulations will be set forth to help with the deforestation of the rainforest. Also, we hope that everyone who reads this blog will take into consideration the effects that will continually occur due to deforestation and will try to make eco-friendly decisions in the future.

Rainforest Update

While looking through our Google Alerts, we found numerous amounts of news about the continuation of the destruction of the rainforest and what is being done to prevent it. We found one website particularly important. On http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1157761.htm l , the story revolves around the monstrous company of Nestle. Nestle used to buy palm oil from Indonesia, but because of the extent of the rainforest destruction being caused, Nestle has vowed to look into the production of their products and halt any production that involved the destruction of the rainforest as the company is thoroughly concerned with the well being of the planet. They are continuing to search for new ways to bring delicious products to the stores, but now through “greener” means.

We also found a group called the Rainforest Alliance as well. The goal of the group is to create awareness as well as finding new ways to help this cause. We didn’t realize how big and truly international this cause was until looking at all the events. The Rainforest Alliance holds many events, and participates in several as well. The one in particular that caught our attention was a meeting held in Nuremberg Germany hosted by SusCon, the International Conference on Sustainable Business and Consumption. This so called Gala is going to be a huge event where they “will not only explore, but demonstrate the potential benefits and synergetic opportunities of biodiversity“ (http://www.suscon.net/default.asp?Menue=2). These meetings are very pertinent to finding new ways for businesses to gain resources without causing as much destruction to all of our truly valuable resources in the rainforest.

As our search continues for more information on our topic, several new stories appear every day about the importance of saving the rainforest.

Rainforest PSA 2

Rainforest PSA

Rainforest Destruction Preview

Rainforests used to cover 14% of the earth, but now that number has been diminished into a mere 6%. Experts estimate that within the next 40 years the rainforest will be completely eliminated. The rainforest houses thousands of undiscovered plants with numerous medical advances that we are destroying every day. The actual amount of plants tested for these possible pharmaceutical advances only equates to about 1%. Of the 3,000 identified plants that fight against cancer, 70% of them are found only in the rainforest. With the destruction of the rainforest comes the dwindling hope for cures for numerous illnesses. Along with that, we are destroying several species. Not only do we lose knowledge of these unknown species, but also their possible curing abilities. Now just think about all the species we haven’t tested that could be useful, yet we lead to their demise. To top it all off, the destruction of the rainforest leads to increased global warming through the buildup of carbon dioxide not being absorbed by the once luscious rainforest. The rainforest is so pertinent to our existence and our survival on this planet, but every single day we destroy what helps make life possible.

For this blog project, Sebastian, David, and Annette have chosen to do a public service announcement on the destruction of the rainforest. Everyone knows this is a huge issue, especially after the emergence of an Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore which opened the eyes to many about the world wide crisis among us. The rainforest is one of the things, we as a mankind can help save. It is completely in our control, yet all the aspects of life distract from making a difference. We hope that with our project we can help enlighten others about the true facts of the disappearance of the rainforest and all the benefits we are losing as well as providing simple steps to help save the rainforest.

FACT URL: http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm

BLOG URL: http://pokding.blogspot.com/2010/04/medicational-plants-from-forest.html

Rainforest Destruction

One artists LEGO rendition of rainforest destruction.