We’ve been busy here at Dogwood Alliance in the days since the Our Forests Not Fuel campaign launch in partnership with our allies at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Most importantly, we’ve been spreading the word about these big utility companies who are cutting down our trees to produce electricity while calling their unsustainable practices “green” and “renewable.” The more people who know about the Virginia-based Dominion Power and UK-based Drax Group buying millions of tons of wood pellets from the Maryland-based wood pellet producers Enviva, the better. We need people to know that these companies are cutting down the South’s 100-year-old wetland forests and using whole trees to fire their biomass power plants. We need the entire world to sit up and recognize that biomass is not the way to a clean energy future. We’ve gotten media outlets all over the world to share this storyabout this emerging threat to forests and to life on earth as we know it, including major ones, such as:

In the articles, burning wood for electricity is called “absurd”, “crazy,” and even “lunacy,” but the fact of the matter is that these companies have invested billions of dollars to make this a reality. So, now that many of us know about these practices that are devastating to our forests, what can we do? So far, with the help of activists and supporters, Dogwood Alliance has sent over 13,000 emails to these top three forest destroyers. We must send a clear message: Our Forests Aren’t Fuel! Please join the movement: get educated, take action, and donate today! [youtube]https://youtu.be/_NFLvYfXdJM[/youtube]

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.