Ten years ago, at a meeting of 250 members of communities affected by large-scale eucalyptus plantations in Brazil, September 21st was established as the National Day Against Tree Monocultures. The aim was to increase the visibility of the many peoples and communities struggling against tree monocultures, as a way of breaking the circle of silence around the numerous violations faced by the communities whose territories were surrounded by these monocultures.
On Wednesday afternoon, we went up to Chesapeake to get a closer look at the Enviva export facility. The southern part of the Elizabeth River runs through Portsmouth and Chesapeake and is lined with industrial centers on both sides. From the Jordan Bridge crossing the river, it is easy to spot the two enormous white silos that store up to 100,000 metric tons of wood pellets. We paddled our kayaks through Paradise Creek, which runs right next to the domes. The structures are massive. It’s alarming to realize the amount of forests that must be cleared to stock these domes, and the impact of this huge loss on our environment and communities.
From the books in the library to the composition pads and math notebooks, paper is a fantastic and effective tool for learning. We want to help you, though, to be aware of the choices that are out there. These choices are important, because by choosing recycled and Forest Stewardship Council certified paper made from responsibly managed forests, you limit your impact on the environment. It’s a great feeling to be able to buy your children’s school supplies and help protect important conservation values in the forests of the US South and around the world.
I return from the Kinship Conservation Fellowship program with a new appreciation for the global nature of environmental problems, the diverse tools used to achieve conservation success as well as many great new friends from my wonderfully diverse cohort.
Working as the Communications Intern at Dogwood this summer has inspired me even more deeply to dedicate my career to environmental work and led my love of nature to grow even stronger – and I wouldn’t have thought that was possible!
