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Non-Profit Works - In Two Ways
One of the world's two major certifiers of sustainably managed forests is set for a spring growth spurt thanks to a $5 million grant from the Ford Foundation, an independent, nonprofit philanthropic organization. The beneficiary is the Forest Stewardship Council, a nonprofit international organization based in Oaxaca, Mexico, with national working groups and activities in more than 50 countries. The Forest Stewardship Council will use the grant to expand its worldwide forest certification program over the next five years. Landowners approved as abiding by FSC standards such as protection of biological diversity, conservation of the forest's economic resources and respect for the rights of indigenous peoples may advertise their wood as certified by using the FSC logo. The concept relies on the assumption that informed consumers who care about environmental protection will trust the certification agency and be willing to make purchases of products that carry the label of that agency. The FSC is growing quickly. The global timber industryıs acceptance of certified wood that meets the Forest Stewardship Councilıs standards exploded during the first two months of 2001. In January and February, FSC-accredited certification bodies brought 331 new companies into its program, a 30 percent growth in two months. Companies in the United States that sell FSC-certified wood products include the nation's largest home improvement retailer, Atlanta-based Home Depot; Lowe's Companies, a home improvement retail chain based in Wilkesboro, North Carolina; and Andersen Corporation, based in Bayport, Minnesota, which makes windows and patio doors. "The FSC is a leading example of a new movement to encourage and reward higher standards of social and environmental performance by woodland owners and managers worldwide," said Ford Foundation senior program officer Michael Conroy. "We hope that this funding will enable it to continue its transformation of the global forest products industry," he said. Since 1993, the Ford Foundation has granted $987,000 to the Forest Stewardship Council. The new $5 million grant is part of a $10 million commitment to the FSC envisioned by the foundation over the next five years. "This major grant will strengthen our ability to expand holistic forest stewardship worldwide and to meet the growing demand for FSC-certified products," said Maharaj Muthoo, executive director of the Forest Stewardship Council. "It also assures that this work will continue to contribute not only to preserving the planet's living legacy but also to improving the lives andincomes of millions of people in forest dependent communities." There is a competing forest certification group. In 1999, European forest industry organizations launched their own certification system for sustainably produced timber. The Pan-European Forest Certification Scheme is a voluntary private sector initiative that originated with small forest owners in European countries. With members in 15 countries, PEFC differs from the FSC in that it provides a framework for mutual recognition of national forest certification schemes rather than accrediting certifying organizations itself. While PEFC is funded by the forest industry, the FSC is funded by charitable foundations, government donors, membership subscriptions and accreditation fees. To ensure its independence, the FSC does not accept funding from industry. The Ford Foundation has given more than $10 billion in grants and loans since it started in 1936. These funds derive from an investment portfolio that began with gifts and bequests of Ford Motor Company stock by Henry and Edsel Ford. The foundation no longer owns Ford Motor Company stock. Its diversified portfolio is managed to provide a perpetual source of support for the foundation's programs and operations. Way Two INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR FORESTS AND AGAINST FREE TRADE: April 19th and 20th, world-wide. This day of action is being held in solidarity with direct actions against the SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, also occuring on the above dates. This summit of trade ministers, representatives, and government officals will be working toward the implementation of the FREE TRADE AREA OF THE AMERICAS (FTAA). The New Zealand Government is quietly trying to setup similar deals between it and other governments, notably Singapore. The FTAA is the expansion of a NAFTA-like (North American Free Trade Agreement) throughout the Western Hemisphere, excluding Cuba. If the FTAA takes effect, it will provide the international timber industry with yet another incentive to decimate global forest ecosystems. The Summit Of The America's trade minsters will be pushing Advanced Tariff Liberalization (ATL), known by its critics as the Global Free Logging Agreement (GFLA). The GFLA was tabled at the ill-fated November 1999 Seattle ministerial of the World Trade Organization (WTO), largely due to the work of activists, organizers, and citizens like ourselves. It seeks to eliminate tariff and non-tarriff barriers on raw logs and timber products. The GFLA is projected to increase the timber harvest globally by 3-4%, and thus provide further impetus for unsustainable logging practices in order to supply this gluttonous demand. The timber lobby will seek to move forward with this agreement this April at the Summit of The Americas in Quebec City. In addition, the FTAA will nullify common sense regulatory measures including Non-Tariff Barriers to Trade (NTBs). NTBs include: sanitary/phyto-sanitary regulations, regulations controlling the flow of uninspected forest products, possible hosts to ecosystem-ravaging invasive species, as well as GENETICALLY ENGINEERED TREES. Common sense regulatory measures like state, regional, national, and international environmental laws protecting workers, prohibiting toxics, and controlling pollution, among others, will be nullified by the FTAA. The FTAA will provide legal avenues for the timber industries to expand their operations to previously unlogged areas with less regulations and no accountability. The FTAA is a direct threat to the ability of forest communities to decide how to utilize and protect local forest ecosystems. .
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