- ReGrow Rainforests!! by Liora Leah
16 y
4,096 4 Messages Shown
Blog: Mother Earth Heals
Willie Smits restores a rainforest! View video: http://www.ted.com/talks/willie_smits_restores_a_rainforest.html
Willie Smits has devoted his life to saving the forest habitat of orangutans, the "thinkers of the jungle." As towns, farms and wars encroach on native forests, Smits works to save what is left.
Willie Smits works at the complicated intersection of humankind, the animal world and our green planet. In his early work as a forester in Indonesia, he came to a deep understanding of that triple relationship, as he watched the growing population of Sulawesi move into (or burn for fuel) forests that are home to the orangutan. These intelligent animals were being killed for food, traded as pets or simply failing to thrive as their forest home degraded.
Smits believes that to rebuild orangutan populations, we must first rebuild their forest habitat -- which means helping local people find options other than the short-term fix of harvesting forests to survive. His Masarang Foundation raises money and awareness to restore habitat forests around the world -- and to empower local people. In 2007, Masarang opened a palm-sugar factory that uses thermal energy to turn sugar palms (fast-growing trees that thrive in degraded soils) into sugar and even ethanol, returning cash and power to the community and, with luck, starting the cycle toward a better future for people, trees and orangs.
"This man has dedicated his life to saving the world, and for this he earns our deepest respect."
Jean Kern, Ode http://www.ted.com/speakers/willie_smits.html
Masarang Foundation: http://www.masarang.org/
Willie Smits restores a rainforest! View video: http://www.ted.com/talks/willie_smits_restores_a_rainforest.html
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Liora Leah
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- Re: ReGrow Rainforests!! by kerminator
16 y
1,691
Liora;
Have followed your post for several years, good stuff!
The recent tree article is exactly what I have been taught and thought for planet earth, even before Al Gore and fanatic Global Warming!
Why are we making up non existence stuff like "Carbon Credits" when the real solution is to just cut back on palution and plant more trees(plants) to actually offset any excess Carbon Dioxide... They do not have to be in the Rain Forest only... I have seen here in the USA contractors plowing down any and all trees to "develop" land! Stupid idea and a waste of natural resources!
Now I am not against cutting trees as needed or for timber; but the reckless deforesting of land to just make it easy for builders is wrong!
Thanks for your awareness articles and great posts...
See Ya, Kermit
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kerminator
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- Re: ReGrow Rainforests!! by Liora Leah
16 y
2,110
thanx, Kermie!
I agree! I do NOT like the idea of "carbon credits"--it just lets wealthy companies that pollute buy their way out of retrofitting their manufacturing plants to curb emissions.
...and I agree with you--when homes/buildings are in the planning stages, the architects need to take in the natural environment and work around the trees that are already standing--why cut down a 300 year old oak tree, for instance--why can't we build around it, make it an integral feature of the design of the building/dwelling?
I am NOT a "global warming" fanatic--I happen to think we're going through a natural cycle of warming, as the earth has done before. Granted, humans have contributed to the warming trend, but I believe, despite all of the rhetoric, and I'm being redundant, this is primarily a NATURAL warming cycle. I've jumped on the band wagon with the global warming warners because I see it as a way to curb POLLUTION, clean up the environment, develop cleaner fuels, etc. see my blog: Pollution: Everyone's Business http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=976553
thanks for writing! blessings, Liora
also: Trees "eat" CO2 http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=976584
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Liora Leah
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CureZone