Don’t Buy Old
Growth
• Background
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• Visit
our campaign partners the Rainforest Action Network at
www.ran.org
• Read Indiana University’s Old Growth
Purchasing Policy secured by IFA and
IU-SEAC
Old Growth
Policy
SUBJECT: Protection of Old Growth
Forests
SOURCE: Vice President and Chief
Administrative
Officer
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POLICY
NO: P. 15. DATE ISSUED:
May 1,
2001
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RATIONALE:
Indiana University recognizes the value of old growth
forests and that certain responsibility may be addressed
within the procurement effort. Therefore common practice
shall be to avoid the purchase of wood and paper
products, and the use of such products, whose content is
derived from wood raw materials found in old growth
forests.
POLICY: Indiana University will not
purchase any wood or paper
products derived from old
growth forests.
DEFINITIONS: Old growth
forest. Stands and or landscapes with
either of the
following characteristics:
* A proportion of the
trees have reached (or nearly reached ) their maximum
age relative to natural disturbance patterns to which
the ecosystem is adapted.
* Stands that have been
essentially unaffected by intensive industrial
activities over time periods long enough so that forest
structure and composition are determined largely by
natural disturbance and regeneration, and which are
dominated by native tree species.
* Included are all
tropical forests and temperate rainforest (excluding
those certified by the Forest Stewardship Council).
Wood or paper products: Any product that is
based on wood or wood fiber products. This would include
items such as paper, wooden furniture, plywood,
paneling, particle board, dimensional lumber, veneer,
etc.
PROCEDURE
REFERENCE: Throughout the
purchasing process, the Purchasing
Department is
bound by and follows statutes, regulations, and ethical
standards.
The Indiana University Purchasing
Department will notify all vendors and contractors that
we are eliminating the use of all products derived from
old growth forests.
Indiana University reserves
the right to ask for documentation from any supplier if
sufficient evidence is presented that the supplier is in
violation of this policy. Indiana University also
reserves the right to sever all dealings with any
supplier in violation of this policy.
Indiana
University will review this policy within two years to
ensure that it is meeting the desired goals. Also, at
that time, Indiana University will re-evaluate whether a
formal certification process with suppliers of wood and
paper products will improve this process.
CROSS
REFERENCE:
RESPONSIBLE
ORGANIZATION:
Indiana University Purchasing Department.
New Boise Policy to Stay Out of
Endangered Forests Raises the Bar
Dirty Dozen
Logging Companies Targeted
The September 3, 2003
release of Boise’s new policy on endangered
forests
marks a shift in the timber industry.
A dramatic
three year campaign has resulted in the cancellation
of
millions of dollars worth of business for Boise
Cascade. Activists
dogged their shareholder meetings,
took over stores that purchased their
products, flew
a giant dinosaur over their corporate headquarters
and
humiliated them in the press. Students
across the U.S. persuaded their
universities to
cancel Boise contracts. Many of America’s largest
brand
names, including Levi-Strauss, Lowe’s and
Kinko’s put intense market
pressure on Boise. Dubbed
the “Dinosaur of the Timber Industry, Logging
Itself
to Extinction,“ Boise tried to shake the image by
changing their
name. They even started making 100%
recycled paper to try to
regain
customers.
But, all to no avail. Their
profits were dropping, their customers
leaving or
pressuring them to change. During this time Boise
dropped
from the number one logger of public lands in
the U.S. to number 11. A
coalition of Chilean and
U.S. activists forced them to abandon plans to
build
the largest chip mill in the world in the heart of
Chile’s
temperate rainforests. Mexican peasants
kicked Boise out of the old
growth forests of
Guerrero, Mexico
So, Boise has buckled. Their new
Endangered Forest commitment marks a
new direction
for Boise and offers hope for the forests of
Chile,
Indonesia, the U.S. and Canada’s boreal
forest.
The “Boise and the Environment”
Policy
· Commits Boise to stop sourcing wood from
endangered forests in the
U.S. and other
countries.
· Commits Boise to working with
governments, conservation organizations
and others to
identify endangered forest areas, including in
Chile,
Indonesia, the United States and Canada’s
Boreal forests.
· Commits Boise to examine its
procurement of sensitive tree species
such as
meranti, lauan, South American mahogany, African
mahogany and
Alaska yellow cedar.
· Recognizes the
importance of protecting biodiversity
hotspots,
tropical wilderness areas, and other
important areas.
· Recognizes the importance of
adopting chain-of-custody monitoring, to
ensure that
wood procured from other landowners comes from
well-managed
forests, not endangered forests.
Commits Boise to adopting some form
of
chain-of-custody monitoring.
· Commits Boise to
continue avoiding the planting and use of
genetically
modified trees.
· Commits Boise to
producing residential siding recycled plastic
and
recovered urban wood.
· Commits Boise to
exploring Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC)
certification for its Brazilian
operations.
Further, Boise has committed to
withdraw itself from the lawsuit against
the Roadless
Conservation Policy and is in the process of doing
so.
Is the Boise policy perfect or all that we
had hoped for? No.
*** Boise’s policy
relies heavily on wood products
industry’s
certification scheme, i.e., the
American Forest & Paper
Association’s
“Sustainable Forestry Initiative”
(SFI). Boise relies heavily on the SFI
for its
biodiversity protection policy and its approach to
biodiversity
hotspots and tropical wilderness, among
other things. SFI is grossly
inadequate in all
of these areas. For more information on
the
shortcomings of SFI see:
www.americanlands.org/sfi_report.htm
***
The statement hints at "healthy forest" language - we
must be
vigilant and not allow Boise to endorse the
mislabeled Bush
Administration "Healthy Forests
Initiative" which allows the logging of
old growth
and large mature trees under the guise of forest health
and
fuels reduction.
*** The old
growth policy language is an empty promise here in
the
U.S. since it still relies on the 5000
acres or larger patch size for
the 2004 phase
out. We will need to continue to monitor their
public
lands logging and hold them to NO old growth
logging in the U.S.
*** Boise is only just
beginning to look at certifying its lands to
the
standards of the independent Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC), and is
not looking at certifying its
2.4 million acres of U.S. forests.
It will be up
to all of us who have done forest watch for years on
Boise
to continue and to heighten our vigilance. If
Boise does not follow
their agreements, we will hold
them accountable. Their customers are
watching and so
are we.
Congratulations and a big thank you to
all the activists who worked hard
on this campaign
and pushed Boise Cascade. We need to celebrate
this
victory for endangered forests. Call your local
paper and remind them of
all the Boise Cascade old
growth clearcuts in your area and ask them to
cover
this news.
CHALLENGE TO “THE DIRTY
DOZEN”
Concurrent with the release of “Boise and
the Environment,” RAN sent
letters to “The Dirty
Dozen,” the top 12 worst U.S. logging
companies
(Weyerhaeuser,
Georgia-Pacific,
International Paper, Louisiana-Pacific,
MeadWestvaco,
Plum Creek Timber, Potlatch, Rayonier,
Sierra Pacific Industries,
Sweetheart Holdings,
Universal Forest Products, and Bowater), asking
them
to move immediately
1. to phase out all logging
and procurement of wood products from
endangered and
old growth forests globally;
2. to commit to no
further conversion of native forests to
plantations;
3. to cease experimentation with
genetically-modified trees;
4. to end logging on U.S.
public lands;
5. to set a company-wide target of
averaging a minimum of thirty percent
post-consumer
recycled content for all the paper products you sell;
and
6. to adopt the principles and criteria of the
Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC).
For
questions about the Boise policy and the new “Dirty
Dozen” Campaign,
Contact: Pat Rasmussen,
patr@americanlands.org, 509-548-7640
To see
American Lands’ analysis of the Boise policy written by
Daniel
Hall go to:
http://www.americanlands.org/Boise%20Policy%20Analysis%20Final.pdf
The
Paper Campaign
1.
Office Depot runs full page Green washing ad in
USA Today
Paper Campaign Day of Action (TODAY)
targets Office Depot
On Monday, Office Depot
ran a full page green washing AD in USA
Today,
claiming that the company is working to
protect endangered forests. In fact,
Office Depot's
controversial environmental policy, which was released
in
April of this year, contains such a narrow
definition of endangered forests
that it virtually
guarantees the destruction of them. This policy fails
to
protect the world's remaining intact endangered
forests, such as the Tongass
National Forest in
Alaska, the Amazon Rainforest, the Cumberland Plateau
in
Tennessee, and the Boreal forests of
Canada.
Why is Office Depot spending
approximately $100,000 to run an ad instead
of
putting its money into creating change and
adopting a environmental paper
procurement policy
that would truly protect the world's remaining
intact
forests? Clearly, we're making a
difference.
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To:
All Activists
From: American Lands Alliance
and National Forest Protection Alliance
RE:
Office Depot National Day of Action, October 8th,
2003
PLEASE HELP CONVINCE OFFICE DEPOT TO END ALL
SOURCING FROM
NATIONAL
FORESTS!!!
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1.
Action Alert For October 8th Day of Action with call-in
number
2. Sample Call-In Script For When You
Call
3. Sample Letter for When you
Fax
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American
Lands and the National Forest Protection Alliance
encourage
advocates for national forests to join The
Paper Campaign--Wednesday, Oct.
8th.
Help Stop
Office Depot from Destroying
Endangered Forests on a
National Day of Action, October 8th!
Call Office
Depot Headquarters TOLL FREE: 1-800-937-3600 x
82988
Office Depot has over $11 billion in sales
and more than 1000 retail office
supply stores across
the country. Since Staples released its commitment
to
dramatically increase the recycled content in the
paper it sells and stop
selling products from
endangered forests, activists have asked Office
Depot
to do the same. But instead of keeping up
with its competitors, Office
Depot, under the
direction of CEO Bruce Nelson, released an
"environmental"
policy that allows for the continued
destruction of endangered forests for
the paper
products it sells.
On October 8th, we need your
help for the National Day of Action against
Office
Depot to pressure CEO Bruce Nelson to change his stance
and stop
selling products from endangered
forests.
Background
Last November, Staples
announced they would stop selling paper coming
from
endangered forests, INCLUDING US NATIONAL
FORESTS, and average 30%
post-consumer recycled paper
for all the paper they sell. This historic
agreement
came after two years of The Paper Campaign's efforts
including
more than 600 protests at Staples stores
nationwide, ads featuring rock
legends R.E.M., and
thousands of letters and calls directed to the
company's
CEO. This fall we will put the pressure on
Office Depot to meet or beat
Staples'
commitment.
The Southeast US, home to Office
Depot's corporate headquarters and the
most
biologically diverse forests in North America,
is the largest
paper-producing region in the world.
Office Depot is destroying forests by
continuing to
sell paper coming from endangered forests like the
Southern
US, the Boreal Forests of Canada and US
PUBLIC LANDS. The paper industry
continues to be the
single largest industrial wood consumer in the
world.
Get involved in the National Day of Action
against Office Depot!
On October 8th, visit a
store near you (see www.officedepot.com),
deliver
letters, get creative, hold a demonstration,
picket, and contact the local
media! Tell them to
stop selling endangered forests!
For factsheets
and other materials or more information
contact:
Kelly Sheehan, Dogwood Alliance,
kelly@dogwoodalliance.org, 828-251-2525
Evan Thomas
Paul, ForestEthics, evan@forestethics.org,
415-863-4563, x301
Debi Kar, ForestEthics,
debi@forestethics.org, 415-863-4563, x302
Andrew
George, NFPA, andrew@forestadvocate.org,
919-933-3073
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The
Paper Campaign's Office Depot Day of Action Call-In
Script
--------------------------------------------------------------
Phone
No.: 1 800 937 3600 x 82988
Hi,
My name is
________ and I am calling from [give City, State], near
the (YOUR
NATIONAL FOREST - if applicable). I am
calling to urge Office Depot to stop
selling products
that come from endangered forests, INCLUDING US
NATIONAL
FORESTS.
**If you should get further
than this with the person who answers, here are
some
talking points**
**If the OD person responds that
they already have a policy to protect "rare
and
vulnerable" forests**
The "rare and vulnerable"
definition does not protect intact forests such
as
the Canadian boreal or the Amazon rainforest, and
only commits Office Depot
to protecting tiny patches
of only the rarest forests and isolated
fragments
left after clearcuts.
Office Depot's
policy does not match recent agreements by companies
such as
Staples and Kinko's. Furthermore, companies
including Home Depot, IKEA and
Lowe's have all agreed
to protect endangered forests and are working
to
implement such protection.
Endangered
Forests definitions are part of an important, ongoing
process
between environmentalists and industry to
define and protect the most
valuable forests on the
globe. In practical terms, these forests are "No
Go"
zones. Office Depot's failure to engage in the
Endangered Forest process is
a clear lack of
leadership and is unacceptable.
For more
information, see www.thepapercampaign.com,
www.forestethics.org,
www.dogwoodalliance.org and our
Office Depot factsheet and action
packet.
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The
Paper Campaign's Office Depot Day of Action Fax-In
Letter to
CEO
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Fax
Number: 1 561 438 4400
Bruce Nelson,
CEO
Office Depot
2200 Old Germantown
Road
Delray Beach, FL 33445
Dear Mr.
Nelson:
I am writing to express concern and
disappointment that Office Depot has
still not
committed to phase out products coming from endangered
forests. As
a leader in the office supply industry,
Office Depot has the responsibility
to set the
standard by developing policies that protect our
forests. Office
Depot needs to eliminate its sale of
paper products from endangered forests
as many other
leading companies have, namely Staples, Kinko's, Lowe's
and
Home Depot.
My concern centers on
inadequacies of your company's current
environmental
policy. The policy does not protect
endangered and old growth forests like
the Canadian
boreal, the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia
and the
Amazon rainforest, or endangered native
forests in the Southern U.S. Using
the term 'rare and
vulnerable' does not require proactive protection
of
forests still intact, it only supports a reactive
approach to forest
fragmentation.
As an
industry leader, Office Depot can't sit back while one
company leads
the way on environmental
responsibility. Office Depot's adoption of the
words,
"Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value" echoes
that of the
timber industry's Sustainable Forestry
Initiative (SFI), a certification
scheme that
undermines the efforts of environmentalists and
other
stakeholders to protect the globe's forests.
The SFI ignores conservation
for:
. Intact
forest landscapes that have not yet been fragmented,
degraded, or
destroyed
. High biodiversity forests
where there is no legally recognized or
known
endangered species
. Critical habitat of
conservation species that are not 'imperiled' but
are
critical to achieve conservation goals
.
Critical areas of natural forest in degraded and altered
ecosystems that
are not critically
imperiled.
I am urging Office Depot to protect
Endangered Forests by immediate phase
out of paper
originating from Endangered Forests, including the
world's last
remaining ancient forests, US National
Forests and public lands, Boreal
Forests and
endangered forests in the Southern U.S. Office Depot's
policy
does not meet the actions necessary to
conserve forests. I am urging Office
Depot to include
endangered forest language in its environmental
policy.
Including the protection of 'Endangered
Forests' in the environmental policy
of Office Depot
is a critical step to ensure your business
is
environmentally and socially responsible. I would
like to shop for office
supplies in a store that does
not destroy the environment; unfortunately,
that
currently leads me to your competitor. Please let me
know about your
plans to address this critical
issue.
Sincerely,
Your Name and
Address
Tree-Free Alternatives
List of good post-consumer paper
companies
Recycled Products Purchasing
Cooperative
www.recycledproducts.org
Tree-Cycle
www.treecycle.com
Rick - (406) 586-5287
Three Mountain
Papers
www.threemountainpapers.com
toll-free
866.THREE-MT
Real Earth Paper Company
http://www.treeco.com/paper.htm
Green Earth
Office
Supply
http://store.yahoo.com/greenearthofficesupply/paperreams.html
Greenline Paper (Good for East Coast
orders)
http://www.greenlinepaper.com
Green
Order
http://greenorder.com/home/
ReThink
Paper
http://www.rethinkpaper.org/
Greg Barber
Company
www.gregbarberco.com
100% PCW Evolution
and Sandpiper, tree free Kenaf, Hemp, Old Money, Denim
Blues and Weeds, and 60% PCW/100% PCF New Life DP.
We
ship 1 ream and up. We also offer
printing.d
Office
Products
http://www.recycledofficeproducts.com/
http://www.greenlinepaper.com
World’s
Largest Piece of Handmade Recycled
Paper
During April 2003, volunteers
from the Indiana Forest Alliance helped to construct the
world’s largest piece of handmade recycled paper. When
completed, the paper was 20 feet by 30 feet and was
embedded with wildflower seeds throughout. It broke a
world’s record set in Singapore and was verified for the
Guiness Book of World’s Records.
Pieces of the
paper are available for a donation of $11 per 6”x 6”
square. Funds raised wil benefit the Indiana Forests
Alliance, the Sycamore Land Trust, Heartwood, and the
Center for Sustainable Living.
To get your
piece, and to support your local conservation
organizations, contact Sheryl Woodhouse-Keese who has
poured her heart and soul into this product and to whom
we are in great admiration and gratitude:
Volunteers of building the world's largest piece
of paper. . .
Richard Torstrick and Mary Ann
Williams have worked very hard the past 4
months
creating a beautiful DVD documentary of our paper
building project,
which is now finished. They are
hoping that showing the tape will help
generate more
awareness and sales of the squares.
These two
have really done an amazing job!--they have put it in
story
format--how the idea came to be, how we got
started, the breakdown of the
garbage disposal, how
we dealt with the sprouting seeds, rolling up
the
paper to get it to the farmer's market, etc.
There is also a really cool
sped-up section where you
can see the paper being built to "Flight of
the
Bumble Bee" in one minute! There are interviews
with several volunteers and
representatives of the
groups getting the money, and a section on
modern
paper production and why people should support
conservation and recycling
efforts.
They are
speaking to someone at WFYI in Indy right now about
getting it
aired on public TV up there. I am calling
BCAT today. However, we're also
wondering if any of
the volunteers would like a copy for themselves.
It
would cost $15--this will cover production of the
DVD, the case, shipping
and a small donation to these
groups. If so, please e-mail me so that I can
get a
count on how many we need to make, but then send a $15
check to
Earthscape P.O. Box 2122 Bloomington, IN
47402.
We are also having a public showing of the
documentary on Wednesday, October
22 at 7 p.m. in
Room 1-C of the Monroe Co. Public Library. Our plan is
to
have refreshments, representatives of the 4
organizations talk briefly about
their mission, show
the DVD, and then hopefully, sell lots of sections
of
the paper. Please make plans to attend!
I
checked our status on the Guinness website. They
received our supporting
materials at the end of June,
and are researching their validity right now.
We're
supposed to hear something within 6 weeks, which has
passed, so I hope
to have the official word
soon.
Please let me know if you want a copy of
the DVD, so we know if we should
burn any more.
Thanks, Sheryl
Sheryl
Woodhouse-Keese
Owner/Artist
Twisted Limb
Paperworks
100% recycled paper
handmade in our
studio
stitched into distinctive
invitations and
stationery products
P.O. Box 2122 Bloomington, IN
47402
(812) 876-9352 (Phone)
(812) 876-9361
(Fax)
www.twistedlimbpaper.com
sheryl@twistedlimbpaper.com
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