Community Forestry in Oaxaca, Mexico

Rainforest Alliance communications specialist Eugenio Fernandez Vasquez discusses our work to ensure that community forestry businesses are harvesting and processing wood sustainably, sharing benefits equitably and developing smart, responsible business plans.

The Benefits of Bromeliads: Part II

Tarin Toledo Aceves, a Rainforest Alliance Kleinhans Fellow, continues to discuss her work to conserve bromeliads and the surrounding forests by educating local communities and establishing nurseries.

Last Minute (Green) Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas!

This Valentine’s Day, sweethearts can show their love for one another and the planet by celebrating with green gifts and activities.

Let Love Bloom

Surprise your Valentine with a beautiful bouquet — just be sure it wasn’t grown at the expense of the environment. Flowers that bear the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal come from farms that curb deforestation, conserve soil and water, provide habitat for wildlife, and protect the rights and well-being of farm workers. You can find certified blooms at Whole Foods Market, Sam’s Club, Trader Joe’s and Costco.

Give a Sweet Treat

Farmed on over 18 million acres of tropical land, some 40 million people depend on cocoa for their livelihoods. Make sure the chocolate you buy contains cocoa grown with respect for people, wildlife and the environment. Check out our list of retailers offering certified chocolate and other goodies.

Put it in Words

Let your loved one know how you feel by picking up a card –  printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)/Rainforest Alliance Certified paper, of course! [Can't find a perfect card? Write your own for a truly special gift.]

Enjoy Dinner at Home

Enjoy a candlelit dinner at home, and you’ll save emissions and money. Cook using Rainforest Alliance Certified, local and/or sustainable ingredients. Top off your meal with a bottle of wine from a winery committed to sustainability. Willamette Valley wines uses cork certified by the Rainforest Alliance to the environmental and social standards of the FSC.

Get Away From It All

Rekindle your love on a romantic getaway. Find stunning and sustainable destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean on SustainableTrip.org — a database of tourism businesses that conserve natural resources, protect plants and wildlife, and support local communities.

Give and You Shall Receive

Make a $35 donation to the Rainforest Alliance before Valentine’s Day, and receive complimentary DOVE® Dark Chocolate bars stamped with the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal.  You can ship the bars directly to the one you love, and notify them with our 2012 Valentine’s Card — yours to print or email after your donation is complete.

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Did You Know?: Five Surprising Things That Come From the Forests

Forests are skilled multi-taskers: They house countless wildlife species, protect soils and water sources, prevent erosion, help regulate the global climate and provide us with the goods we use every day, including wood, paper, coffee and cocoa. But did you know that the following five items also originate in forests?

1) Rubber

Whether it’s the ball that your kids toss on the playground or the soles of your most comfortable shoes, the natural rubber in these products is made from a milky white sap that flows from the rubber tree when part of its bark is removed. A quick-growing species, the rubber tree provides important income to indigenous populations and gives forest communities an economic incentive to conserve their forestlands. Though native to South America’s Amazon region, rubber trees are now cultivated all over the globe. In Guatemala, the Rainforest Alliance has verified a forest carbon project designed to raise money for the establishment of sustainable rubber tree plantations, which will help restore degraded pastureland and sequester greenhouse gas emissions.

2) Cork

The last time you pulled a non-synthetic cork out of a wine bottle, did you realize that the stopper came from an oak tree? The outer bark of the cork oak – a tree found throughout southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa – is cut and peeled and can be made into wine stoppers, bulletin boards and other items. Because the cork oak is able to regenerate its outer bark, each tree can be harvested multiple times, making cork a renewable resource. Plus, harvested trees are good for the climate — they store up to five times more carbon than unharvested cork oaks. The Rainforest Alliance has been working with cork producers in Spain and Portugal to help them manage their forests sustainably, and winemakers such as Oregon’s Willamette Valley Vineyards are already using FSC/Rainforest Alliance Certified™ corks to seal their wines.

3) Brazil Nuts

The Brazil nut tree is a finicky specimen. In order to produce fruit, it requires that its forest home be undisturbed and that it contain a particular type of orchid whose exotic flowers attract the specific bee species that are necessary for pollination. It’s also a hard nut to crack, literally; only the agoutis, a large rodent, has teeth sharp enough to break through the fruit’s woody shell. But the tree’s fussy behavior pays off in a big way: Brazil nuts are rich in protein and their oil is used in many beauty products, making them one of the most economically important non-timber forest products in the Amazon and earning valuable income for the communities that collect them.

4) Mezcal

A distilled liquor known for its rich, smoky flavor, mezcal is produced from the maguey plant, which grows in the dry forests of southern Mexico. (Also known as wild agave, maguey is a relative of the plant used to make tequila.) The heart of the plant is roasted in a pit oven using charcoal that’s often derived from local trees, a practice that has resulted in deforestation. To help combat this problem, a former Rainforest Alliance Kleinhans Fellow has been working with the residents of one of Mexico’s poorest regions to help them produce this potent spirit in a sustainable manner.

5) Medicine

Your neighborhood pharmacy may be your first stop when you’re under the weather, but when it comes to many of our medicines, the forest is the ultimate source. Quinine, for example, is derived from the cinchona tree and is used to prevent and treat malaria. The bark of the Pacific yew tree contains paclitaxel, a chemotherapy drug, while in traditional medicine, the fruit and leaves of the sapodilla tree (the species from which chicle is produced) are used to treat diarrhea, coughs and colds. All told, forest plants have helped to prevent, treat or cure inflammation, rheumatism, diabetes, muscle tension, surgical complications, heart conditions, skin diseases, arthritis, glaucoma and hundreds of other conditions.

Find out what the Rainforest Alliance is doing to keep forests standing – and discover more fun facts about the world’s forests.

The Benefits of Bromeliads: Part I

Tarin Toledo Aceves is the Rainforest Alliance’s Kleinhans Fellow. For the past two years, she has been developing a plan for the sustainable harvest of epiphytic bromeliads in Veracruz, Mexico and working with communities to conserve the flowering plants by establishing nurseries and educating local people. In a new video, Tarin discusses her work and its potential to improve local lives and livelihoods…

A Better Brazil Nut

Thousands of people in Peru’s Madre de Dios region earn their living by gathering and selling Brazil nuts, which grow wild in the Amazon rainforest. With support from the United States Agency for International Development and Fondation Ensemble, the Rainforest Alliance has helped hundreds of them to improve their forest stewardship, working conditions and incomes. By working with the Brazil-nut gatherers’ associations in eastern Peru, the Rainforest Alliance has strengthened the conservation of their forest concessions while raising their members’ standard of living.

The Bitter Side of the Sugarcane Industry

Throughout Central America, a puzzling new epidemic is threatening the lives and livelihoods of sugarcane workers. In Nicaragua, it causes more fatalities than HIV and diabetes combined, and in El Salvador, it is the second leading cause of death among males. Thousands of Central American men are afflicted with chronic kidney disease, and some epidemiologists and local doctors speculate that the disease is the result of overwork and exposure to dangerous agrochemicals. We recently spoke with Guillermo Belloso, a farm management specialist in El Salvador, about the epidemic and the Rainforest Alliance’s work with SalvaNATURA to improve conditions for sugarcane workers. [SalvaNATURA is an El Salvadorian conservation organization and a founding member of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), which manages the standard to which all Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms are audited.]

Tell me a bit about the SAN’s decision to begin working with sugarcane farmers.

In 2008, the SAN looked at global land use projections and determined that there would soon be a significant increase in the area used to produce biofuels and foods, and — consequently — an increase in demand for palm oil to make diesel and sugarcane to make ethanol.  The following year, we developed an addendum to the SAN standard for sustainable agriculture, which is proving to be an important tool for minimizing the negative impacts of sugarcane farming and reducing pressure on biodiversity and communities.

What are some of the most challenging issues surrounding sugarcane certification?

At the farm level, we are working with farmers to eliminate the use of fire for harvest preparation and to reduce the excessive use of dangerous agrochemicals. To do so, we need to create awareness of the dangers surrounding fire and agrochemicals within local communities, and improve worker education and training.  And we also need to educate consumers about these issues and encourage them to buy sustainable sugar. Consumers everywhere must take an active role in caring for their own health, the health of workers around the world and the health of the planet.

Can you describe some of the health issues plaguing Central American farm workers, particularly sugarcane workers?

On Central American sugarcane plantations, many agricultural tasks are done manually and temperatures can reach 104◦ F (40◦ C). According to local medical surveys, high temperatures and inadequate fluid intake can trigger an increase in kidney disease — today, one of the major health issues facing Central American workers. Making matters worse, many workers have no access to health services and existing facilities lack the equipment or specialists needed to cope with such a serious ailment. The issues will only become more serious as we begin to see the effects of climate change — particularly increases in temperature – on farms in the tropics.

How does the SAN Standard attempt to address these issues?

The SAN Addendum includes these issues in the Standard, addressing them with specific criteria aimed at improving practices. Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms must identify activities that can negatively impact health, improve rehydration practices, issue annual medical checkups, and work to eliminate medical disorders that might be caused by harvest or other dangerous practices.

What other issues does the Standard seek to address?

The SAN Standard works to ensure that Rainforest Alliance Certified farms protect high value ecosystems, develop renewable energy sources, restore ecosystem connectivity, protect threatened and endangered species, consider the impact of their actions on local communities, work to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, and eliminate the use of fire for harvest preparation.

Have we seen improvements in worker health and well-being on sugarcane farms that have earned Rainforest Alliance certification?

Currently, there are only two pilot sugarcane farms working with the Rainforest Alliance and the SAN. The first one is in El Salvador and the second is in Brazil. Conditions are very different in both places.

The El Salvador pilot farm is typical of a Central American sugarcane plantation, and local SalvaNATURA technicians and auditors have reported that community doctors have seen a decline in respiratory diseases. SalvaNATURA has also developed an on-farm diagnostic and training for workers and smallholder sugarcane producers. It’s still too early to see real results and determine the full on-the-ground impact.

Learn more about our work with sugarcane farmers.

10 Reasons to Travel Sustainably

The holidays are over, you’re stressed out and the winter blues have set in. It’s time to get away. As you start to plan your vacation, do you consider how much good your trip could do for others? Some of the world’s most breathtaking destinations are now being managed sustainably, which means that in addition to benefiting your own mental health, your next trip could also benefit the environment and local communities. Here are 10 reasons to travel sustainably:

1.     Make a Difference

One of the world’s largest industries, tourism employs more than 235 million people and generates 9.2 percent of the global GDP. The choices made by travelers like you can enormously impact community-run businesses, local cultures and biodiversity. Your decisions will have consequences, for better or worse, so why not choose better

2.     Conserve Natural Environments

When you follow designated trails, respect local rules about interacting with nature and pay entrance fees to parks and protected sites, you help conserve the beautiful environments that you’ve traveled all that way to visit.

 3.     Protect Wildlife

By participating in bird-watching expeditions and forest hikes, you send the message that those species and their habitats are worth protecting. On the flip side, refrain from buying clothing or other products derived from protected or endangered wildlife since those purchases encourage the continuation of harmful practices.

 4.     Reduce Consumption & Waste

Sustainable tourism companies—including those businesses that have earned the Rainforest Alliance Verified™ mark—are smart about managing their waste and reducing their consumption of resources such as water and energy. By choosing sustainable hotels and tour operators, you voice your support for responsible business.

5.     Support Local Economies

Choosing a sustainable tourism business keeps money in the community — these companies rely on local suppliers for goods and services, hire staff from neighboring towns and support community conservation, development and education efforts.

6.     We’re In This Together

People who operate sustainable businesses understand that well-trained, justly compensated staff members are loyal to their employer and often help improve a company’s efficiency. Well-treated employees also provide excellent service, which is a key component of a great travel experience.

 7.     Preserve the Past

Your visits to historic and cultural sites help maintain these local treasures by giving the local community a reason—and the means—to protect them. Plus, learning about the traditions and cultures of others is a great way to discover new things about yourself.

8.     Get the Inside Scoop

Who knows more about a place than the locals? Whether it’s through home stays, tips on the most scenic hikes and best regional dishes, or insights into cultural traditions, interacting with locals will only enhance your vacation experience.

 9.     Reduce Climate Change

Traveling by car, plane or train produces greenhouse gas emissions, which lead to climate change. But by choosing sustainable travel providers, you are supporting businesses that make an ongoing effort to mitigate these impacts. And if you also purchase carbon offsets, you’re really thinking ahead to a greener tomorrow.

 10.  Look to the Future

So you’re on your trip and you’re having a great time. Don’t you want the option of returning to that destination in the future? By supporting sustainable tourism businesses, you help ensure the long-term conservation of some of the world’s most spectacular places.

 Here are some practical tips for planning your next sustainable vacation. Go to www.SustainableTrip.org to locate responsible tourism businesses, and visit the nonprofit Local Travel Movement to share your stories about past trips.

A Day in the Life of an Ivorian Cocoa Farmer

While auditing a cooperative in Côte d’Ivoire, Rainforest Alliance trainer and auditor Noah Jackson was made king of a small village for the day. It’s a traditional honor that is often bestowed on visitors from outside the region and — much like auditing — provides a window into the daily life of community members. In a new slide show, Noah shares some behind-the-scenes images from small farms that belong to the cocoa cooperative.

 

Ready to learn more about our work with cocoa farming communities? Visit our website.

 

15 Things You Might Not Know About Chocolate

It’s amazing melted and mixed with milk. It’s the perfect addition to cake and cookie batter. It’s divine sweetened with a little sugar. We know it’s delicious (in all its forms), but there’s more to chocolate than great taste. A few fun facts to nourish your mind…

1.  It grows on (Theobroma cacao) trees! Like coffee, cocoa or cacao (pronounced kah-KOW) can flourish under the shade of the forest canopy, where it supports biodiversity — providing habitat for threatened plant and animal species, protecting natural pollinators and cocoa-pest predators, and creating biological corridors.
2. According to the Greeks, chocolate – or theobroma – is literally the “food of the gods.”
3. Rainforest Alliance Certified™ cocoa farms conserve forests and wildlife while ensuring that workers are provided with decent wages and safe living and working conditions, and their families have access to health care and education.
4. In South American civilizations, cocoa beans were once used as a form of currency — only eaten as their quality degraded. According to ancient records, a horse cost 10 beans and a rabbit could be purchased for four beans.
5. Approximately 70 percent of the world’s cacao comes from West Africa. Cacao trees grow across the lowland tropical regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas.
6. The Mayans were the first to grind up cacao seeds and use them to concoct a drink.
7. Cocoa is farmed on more than 28,000 square miles (18 million acres or 7.5 million hectares) worldwide. That’s an area about the size of Ireland or the state of South Carolina.
8. About 40 million people worldwide, including five million farmers, rely on cocoa for their livelihoods. Most cocoa is grown by “smallholder” farmers, who own one- or two-acre plots of land.
9. While cocoa — a rare and expensive commodity — was introduced in Spain as early as the 1600’s, it wasn’t until 1765 that the first chocolate factory was established in the United States. Two and a half centuries later, the average American eats about 12 pounds of chocolate per year.
10. Like turkey, chocolate contains tryptophan — a chemical that the brain uses to produce serotonin, which can generate feelings of ecstasy or love. Chocolate is also rich in antioxidants.
11. There are Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa farms in 12 countries: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Peru and Tanzania.
12. In the infamous shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” chocolate syrup is used as fake blood.
13. The Rainforest Alliance is working with farmers in Ghana to produce “climate-friendly” cocoa, helping farmers and their communities to adopt practices that help curb climate change and mitigate its impacts.
14. According to a 2010 study, two out of three women say choosing their own chocolate is just as personal a decision as selecting their own lipstick.
15. A cacao tree takes five years to produce its first beans.

Is your mouth watering yet? Visit Shop the Frog to find brands and stores offering Rainforest Alliance Certified chocolate goodies.

Curious about the people behind the chocolate products you love? Tour a Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa farm with Noah Jackson.