October 19th is the International Day of Action on Bioenergy. Today we recognize Southern US forests at the international level for the way they protect us from climate change and storms like Hurricane Matthew, but we also recognize the ways that the bioenergy industry is exploiting our forests.
We were lucky enough to hang out in the cool town of Athens, GA with other like-minded folks who were eager to learn more about how they can protect the forests in their backyard. This year, even more so, because three new wood pellet mills are proposed in and around the Athens area, which would clearcut Georgia forests, turn them into pellets, and either ship them to Europe to be burned for electricity OR burn them right here in the South.
Here at Dogwood Alliance we proudly stand with the organizations and communities across the globe who work relentlessly to deliver the increasingly important message: Plantations Are NOT Forests.
North Carolina activist, RiverDave, created a poem about wood pellets. We found the poem really inspiring and wanted to feature it on our blog!
This is not your grandparents’ wood stove we’re talking about; this is operating an enormous power plant using enough wood to power an entire country.
