The Forest Foundation, Inc.

The Forest Foundation Executive Director, Mary Katherine Williams, and President, Marc Dreyfors, plan to attend the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Feb. 10-20, and participate in environmental actions of several organizations, protesting the United States’ position on climate change and the Kyoto Treaty.

Activists from across Italy, Europe and the world will come to celebrate with Olympic athletes and supporters, but also bring attention to the crises situation regarding global warming, biodiversity loss and the effects we are seeing on people, animals and places.

“We are rapidly approaching the point of no-return,” states Mr. Dreyfors, a graduate of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University and activist in alternative energy and sustainable development, “Upsetting a climate balance that has lasted 10’s of thousands of years. This was no easy feat, and will require a concerted effort on behalf of everyone to fix.”

The Foundation plans to focus attention on Artic melting, drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the subsequent loss of ecosystem integrity critical for our survival.

“We plan to dress up as polar bears!” Ms. Williams said. “We have been tracking down customs and are practicing graceful body movements, it is not as easy as it looks!”

Polar bear ecosystems are being impacted dramatically by the shrinking of the Arctic ice cap and warming (as much as 7o over the last 20 years). Polar bears may become extinct in the wild in the next 20 years, as their ability to hunt for food is diminished as ice retreats. Sadly, scientific studies of bear fat deposits and those of other Arctic species have found highly elevated levels of petrochemicals and carcinogens, at such levels that their bodies are considered hazardous material.

“This is a great tragedy,” Mr. Dreyfors continues, “Not only is their home disappearing, but they are exposed to horrible toxins that bio-accumulate through their diet. The Poles act like giant air conditioning units, with global circulation bringing our pollutants north. It is a giant ‘canary in the coal mine,’ indicative of imminent global changes.”

To add additional insult to injury, the United States has undermined international efforts to curb Greenhouse gases, not just refusing to sign the Kyoto Treaty requiring minimal reductions, but overtly sabotaging other nations efforts to meet goals established by the Treaty.

“This is a moral outage,” states Ms. Williams, “and US deserves the moniker of ‘pariah nation.’ Abrupt climate change will kill and dislocate far more people in the coming decades than terrorism. We need to get our priorities straight!”

The Pentagon has indeed identified climate change as the number one problem facing the US in an internal report leaked to the public last year. ExxonMobil, and other “big oil” companies, have been identified as major funders of false data and anti climate change propaganda driving our US policy. Given the seriousness of the issue, their actions will rise to “crimes against humanity” and should be prosecuted as such.

Finally, (if that wasn’t enough), instead of promoting energy conservation, higher auto fuel mileage and alternative energy technology at levels that will make a difference, the US is moving ahead to open to drilling the last remaining wildlife refuge on the Arctic slope.

The US produces 25% of the world’s greenhouse gases and consumes as much as 30% of the world’s resources, nearly all which are harvested/produced unsustainably, though we are less than 5% of the world’s population! Our consumptive behavior is not a good role model.
Native peoples have filed suit against the US for disrupting their livelihoods from both climate change and the intrusion on their lands. This may be one of few legal measures other than a sea change in political thinking and spiritual connection needed for a sustainable future for our planet.

“We plan to hand out Polar Bear fact sheets and carry signs at US team events, like ‘Polar Bears—ultimate winter athletes, save our home!’ ‘US join the world community, sign Kyoto!’ ‘Looking for new home, the US is destroying ours!’, ‘US out of ANWR!’, ‘Your SUV is melting my home’,” Mr. Dreyfors states. “We want to keep it light and fun, relative to this important event. We expect to hug a lot of kids and hope to see some of the competition as well as take a long needed vacation in one of the world’s most beautiful places”(for more info. on climate change, goto: www.edf.org, www.stopglobalwarming.org, www.heatisonline.org/).

If you would like to help us and sponsor our trip, help offset our carbon or lend some support, please contact us at 957-1505. The goal is to raise $1200 for the Trip.

The Forest Foundation, based in Durham, North Carolina, is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization that works to promote and support sustainable livelihoods through model programs in environmental education, green business, and fair trade. Its most recent project is Bull City Biodiesel Cooperative and Carolina Biodiesel, LLC, both promoting the use of alternative, sustainable, less polluting fuel. For more information about us, go to: www.theforestfoundation.org.