What’s more exciting than winning the Kentucky Derby? How about attending the Yum! Brands shareholder’s meeting in Louisville, Kentucky and getting a commitment for a meeting with their Chief Sustainability Officer, Roger McLendon?

Dogwood Alliance did just that on May 17th. Staffers Scot Quaranda, Haiz Oppenheimer, and Andrew Goldberg, along with board members Gary Phillips and Bob Cabin, took turns speaking directly to David Novak, Yum! Brands CEO, and the rest of the company’s directors about the damaging effects their paper packaging is having on Southern forests.

Dogwood Alliance Team at the YUM Shareholder Meeting

Dogwood Alliance Team at the YUM Shareholder Meeting from left to right – Haiz Oppenheimer, Gary Phillips, Scot Quaranda, Dr. Robert Cabin, and Andrew Goldberg.

What’s more exciting than winning the Kentucky Derby? How about attending the Yum! Brands shareholder’s meeting in Louisville, Kentucky and getting a commitment for a meeting with their Chief Sustainability Officer, Roger McLendon?

Dogwood Alliance did just that on May 17th. Staffers Scot Quaranda, Haiz Oppenheimer, and Andrew Goldberg, along with board members Gary Phillips and Bob Cabin, took turns speaking directly to David Novak, Yum! Brands CEO, and the rest of the company’s directors about the damaging effects their paper packaging is having on Southern forests.

“They seemed to be listening more than they ever have in the past, and the board was definitely paying attention to what we had to say,” said Oppenheimer, Dogwood’s Campaign Organizer. “It was the first time they’ve ever made a commitment to actually meet with us.”

“This interaction was the culmination of just over two years of Dogwood’s campaign against KFC, the flagship of Yum! Brands’ holdings,” explained Quaranda, Campaign Director. “During our meeting with Roger McLendon, we will push them to develop a sustainability commitment for KFC. We certainly hope that they are meeting in good faith and that we’ll move forward together to protect Southern forests.”

Global Twist on the KFC Issue

Apparently Yum! Brands isn’t the only organization taking note of Dogwood’s campaign against KFC. Recently, Greenpeace independently launched its own campaign targeting KFC’s purchase of endangered forest paper from Indonesia, sold by Asian Pulp and Paper.  The Greenpeace efforts have included a robust email call to action and a banner drop at KFC/ Yum! headquarters shortly after the shareholders meeting.

“We’re excited that Greenpeace is also working to hold Yum! Brands and KFC accountable for their destruction of forests around the world while we’re working to do the same here at home,” said Oppenheimer. “It shows the extent of global forest degradation that this one company is responsible for, and the potential for worldwide forest conservation that could arise if they would simply incorporate sustainable practices into the way they do business.”

Amanda Rodriguez

Amanda is a first generation Cuban American. As a child in West Virginia, she saw first-hand the impact of forest destruction. Now, she helps others support Dogwood Alliance’s vital mission and applies her skills to online and web marketing. A poet, essayist, and fiction writer, Amanda is also the filmmaker of Dogwood’s "Stories Happen in Forests" documentary. She holds a Masters degree from Queens University of Charlotte and a BA from Antioch College. Amanda has been with Dogwood Alliance since 2010.