For the past 3 years, Dogwood Alliance, NRDC, and SELC have sounded the alarm about the widespread, destructive impacts to our forests, communities and climate caused by the rapidly expanding wood pellet industry. Today’s announcement by Enviva, the largest wood pellet manufacturer in the US, is a clear indication that the collective efforts of our organizations are having a direct impact on the practices of this industry.
Dogwood Alliance asked me what the forests mean to me. I could have said clean air (because that’s true), I could have said the beautiful views (also true), or that I use the forests for recreational purposes. But, the answer that rang deeply in my being sounded more like solace.
Right now, Campaign Director, Adam Macon, and Executive Director, Danna Smith, are in Europe delivering your SOS petitions, all 50,000 of them! They’re also presenting new information against the woody biomass industry and standing up for the forests we love.
Having a voice and telling my story are important steps in finding an acceptable resolution to the issue of industrial logging in my community. I experienced “that step” in participating in the meeting with a Dutch delegation in Richmond, Virginia early this November. On several occasions now, I have told my story regarding the impacts on my community due to Enviva’s industrial logging in Northampton County, NC and Southampton County, VA.
Mountaininspiration founder Evans Prater says, “Starting any company is an uphill battle. The internet is a crowded place, and getting people to buy things is always difficult. I know in my heart, though, that if you truly believe in what you’re doing and have a message of peace, light and love, anything is possible.”
