Environmental Profile: ForestEthics; A non-Profit Environmental Organization

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Name of Organization
Brief History of the Organization
Organization’s Environmental Philosophy
Latest Organization’s Activity
Discussion about the Activity
Personal reflection
Works Cited

Introduction

One of the worthwhile activities in which we as human beings can engage in is the protection of our environment. To take up this noble cause for our environment’s sake, many individual activists and organizations have engaged themselves in various activities all aimed at the protection of the environment.

Canada in particular boasts of a significant number of activists. Some of these activists are motivated by the peculiar dangers that face Canada as a result of her wild forests and the dangers that can occur due to oil spillages on Canada’s Coast lines as was demonstrated in the Exxon Valdez tragedy of 1985 which resulted in irreversible damages to Alaska. This paper will review one organization which has been vocal and instrumental in calls for the protection of Canadian’s environment.

Name of Organization

The name of the organization is ForestEthics and it is a nonprofit organization which is based in Canada as well as the United States. The organization is prominent in championing environmental awareness especially by large industries and it is acclaimed to be one of British Colombia’s top five environmental groups (Berkmoes & Lee 57).

According to the organizations official website, ForestEthics.ca, the main purpose of the organization is to protect Endangered Forests, habitats, the ocean and so by extension preserve human well-being. The organization also sets out to sensitize the general population on the role that they can play in ensuring that the environment is protected.

Brief History of the Organization

ForestEthics was founded in 2000 and one of its chief motivation was to campaign for environmental leadership among industries. The organization has its bases in the United States and Canada and it continues to have huge membership in this two countries. Tzeporah Berman is the group’s cofounder and has been instrumental in its projects since the organizations conception.

Leiren-Young acknowledges that Berman has always been on the front line of the environmental movement and that she is regarded as the pioneer to the collaborative approach that ForestEthics is known for as it negotiates with industries so as to turn otherwise destructive industries into allies as it fights for the environment (110).

One of ForestEthic’s significant successes in the recent past was in their lobbying of Victoria’s Secret, the world’s leading catalogue manufacturer, to stop using old growth paper for their catalogues production (Leiren-Yong 110). The organization argued that this practice was harmful to the ecosystem since the forest reserves were being depleted at a high rate. This campaign was a success for the organization as Victoria’s Secret relented to their calls and thus the safety of endangered forests was assured.

Organization’s Environmental Philosophy

At the heart of the efforts of ForestEthics are the campaigns to sway the environmental practices of big companies that are in most cases accountable for pollution and environmental degradation. One of the philosophies behind actions by the organization is that the protection of the environment is every person’s obligation.

As such, the organization takes part in the education of consumers on the contribution to the destruction of the eco-system which they unwittingly make by purchasing products that are produced by environmental unconscious manufacturers (Brownsey & Howlett 224).

Another philosophy of the organization is its belief in negotiations, compromises and working together for the environment’s good. This can be demonstrated by the organization’s keenness to convert corporate enemies into allies in its quest to protect the environment (ForestEthics). Past dealings of ForestEthics with companies such as Victoria’s Secrets and Stables whereby the organization demanded for environmental reforms within the companies demonstrates this concession spirit.

Latest Organization’s Activity

One of the latest campaigns by ForestEthics is to stop Canada from exploiting oil from its tar sands; a practice which not only leads to colossal emissions of greenhouse gases but also leads to the destruction of forests and natural habitats (ForestEthics).

This latest activity is of epic proportions considering the scope of the forests which are being destroyed by the oil companies as they search for oil and gas. ForestEthics in its official website assets that Canada’s tar sand project is the “single largest most destructive fossil fuel project in the world.”

Of particular concern is the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway project which will enable the transportation of Sands oil through British Colombia’s Coast. Approximately 200 tankers will transverse the coast ways every year leading to the increase in threats of oil spills which are capable of destroying wildlife.

Another worrying factor is that it is not only the forest that are at stake but also the water bodies which are being depreciated as the demand for water to process tar sands increases. These waters on being used end up being toxic and are dumped at the heart of Boreal Forest. Brownsey and Howlett report that the toxic levels of these water bodies are so high that they end up killing birds and other animals (223).

The campaigns spearheaded by the organization point out to the fallacies advanced in favor of the project such as the notion that the project will lead to creation of more jobs for the local populace. The organization asserts that other industries such as fishing and ecotourism will be greatly damaged by the pollutants emitted by the tar sand industry and the inevitable oil spillage.

This latest activities by the organization are already having a positive impact on the environment as political pressure mounts on Canada to rethink its oil extraction project. Goldenberg, a correspondent with The Guardian newspaper in the UK, reports that thanks to campaign efforts by ForestEthics, Companies in the US are scaling down their usage of tar sands oil so as to reduce their carbon gas emissions.

Discussion about the Activity

This latest activity by ForestEthics demonstrates the deep interest that the organization has for the environment. The desire of the organization to create awareness of issues that are affecting the environment is also evident from this initiative as can be seen by the various petitions that the organization has made for the public to join in the outcry against the sands oil and coast ways projects.

The campaigns against the expansion of Canada’s sands oil and the creation of the Enbridge Northern Gateway project continue having a positive impact on human health and well being.

This is because Canada is one of the only three countries left in the world with enough forests to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services and as such, they should be protected at all costs (Leiren-Young asserts 111). Furthermore, the sands oil project is already projected to emit more greenhouse gases than any other fossil fuel plant and if this is not mitigated, the damages to humanity would be adverse.

Personal reflection

In my opinion, the significance of this organization is huge and its activities are essential especially in the present time where environmental degradation is rife and the threats of global warming are a constant reality.

The organization’s involvement of ordinary people in its efforts to safeguard the environment is key since it enables each one of us to realize that we have the capability to become a part of the solution. As such, the organization presents a platform on which the war against further degradation of the environment can be waged and measures to limit adverse effects on the environment agreed on.

The profound understanding by the organization that there is no single solution to deal with environmental problems is especially sound and it prevents ForestEthics from sticking to one line of action to solve problems as some activists do. As such, the organization is willing to work with even the offending corporate so as to secure a greener and safer environment for future generations.

Works Cited

Berkmoes, Ryan and Lee, John. “British Columbia.” Lonely Planet, 2007. Print.

Brownsey, Keith and Howlett, Michael. “Canada’s Resource Economy in Transition: The Past, Present, and Future of Canadian Staples Industries.” Emond Montgomery Publication, 2008. Print.

ForestEthics. Protect Forests and Our Climate. 2010. Web.

Goldenberg, Suzanne. “Canada looks to China to Exploit Oil Sands Rejected by US.” 2010. Web.

Leiren-Young, Mark. “The Green Chain: Nothing Is Ever Clear Cut.” Heritage Group Distribution, 2010. Print.

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