The Forest Foundation, Inc.

The Forest Foundation, a Durham-based non-profit promoting sustainable livelihoods, participated in Earth Day events at Duke, UNC and NC State, as well as the annual, Durham downtown event held this year at Central Park.

It was a major “work-out” for TFF’s staff, but well worth it. The weather was beautiful all days and it was a great opportunity to interact with students, faculty, staff and a host of other progressive organizations in our community. TFF hopes that the Triangle can host one of Co-op America/Global Exchange Green Festivals to raise the level of dialogue and find the resources needed to move many of these progressive causes further along. (see www.greenfestivals.com)

Duke’s event was hosted by the Environmental Internship Fund (EIF), a group of students raising money to provide stipends for summer internships for environmental students. The previous week, TFF and Forests of the World (FOW) donated and sold over a thousand dollars worth of crafts to EIF for their annual silent auction. TFF talked with numerous students and handed out lots of literature on fair trade, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, faeaturing Global Exchange’s 10 ways to Democratize the Global Economy (see www.globalexchange.com). “What’s amazing to me,” commented TFF’s President “is how some students are so “in tune” with these issues, yet many, as educated as they are, don’t have a clue of their seriousness and pressing need for change. Curriculum most be integrated across the campus with the principals of sustainable livelihoods. Every student leaving the university has to be exposed to these ideas and learn to embody them in their daily practices.”

UNC’s event the following week was sponsored by the Student Environmental Action Coalition, SEAC, and had a great diversity of organizations represented, though with more student involvement than Duke. But by far, NC State had the greatest turn-out, with several professors actually bringing their classes to the brickyard to interact and learn from the many organizations represented. Venders and booths covered a wide range of issues, truly representing how environmental sustainability affects us all. State is very close to the point of hiring a Sustainability Coordinator, like UNC’s and Duke’s recent position. When that happens the three universities will lead the Triangle in integrating sustainability across facilities and academic environments, and ideally, extend the principals into the communities around these institutions.

TFF’s booth at the Durham Earth Day Event was swamped the whole day with friends stopping by to chat, people intrigued with all the beautiful products for sale and listening to the complex but fundamental mission of the Foundation. Other exhibitors included One World Market, another fair trade retailer; SEEDS; The Scrap Exchange; and The People’s Alliance. TFF was happy to be nested between both the Piedmont Biofuels cooperative(see http://biofuels.coop/index.php) from Pittsboro and a renewable energy booths. The Biodiesel presentation and converted car were fascinating, and along with the hybrid Toyata Prius and Honda Civic, pointed the way to our common future, which is not so unattainable and far off as we may believe. Jonathan Davis, one of TFF’s volunteers was so excited, he plans to start a biodiesel project in his garage! TFF was able to “schmooze” with other activist organizations and was glad to hear of the plan to build a new covered Farmer’s Market and demonstration kitchen/incubator with Central Park. TFF’s is promoting the investment in an organic food processing, drop site and re-distribution facility downtown, which would fit nicely into Central Park’s plan.