Willow's Pagan Place

We've moved beyond the barbaric practice of slaughtering elephants
for thier ivory. We no longer hunt whales to near extintion.
Finally we are on the verge of stopping the systematic destruction of the oldest,
living things on Earth:

Industrial logging is devastating the habitat of the majority
 of the Earth's plant and animal species and displacing 
thousands of indigenous people around the world. 
This destruction is fueled in large part by the demand for 
old growth wood products created by the home building
 industry. Ironically, by building our own homes out of old
 growth wood, we are leaving others homeless.

Thankfully, we are starting to shift this business standard.
 In a landmark victory, one of the most significant in the 
history of Rainforest Action Network, Home Depot announced
 that it will stop selling old growth wood products. After years
 of pressure from Rainforest Action Network, the behemoth
 of the U.S. home improvement industry has promised to 
stop selling all wood from endangered old growth forests.

In the few months since Home Depot's announcement last
 August, RAN knocked out the rest of the home improvement 
industry like dominoes, lining up agreements to go old growth
 free from Lowe's, Wickes, Menard's and HomeBase. 
Education outreach and massive public protest organized
 by Rainforest Action Network have transformed a choice
 to protect the environment into a critical business strategy

Working from this unprecedented point of strength, Rainforest

Action Network has now launched a campaign to work with homebuilders
to eliminate the use of old growth wood in home construction.
Faced with the juggernaut of RAN's grassroots campaign, the nations
two largest homebuilders, Kaufman & Broad and Centex, scrambled
to join the growing number of businesses pledging to go old growth free.

But some companies are still in denial about their egregious use of 
old growth wood. U.S. Home is one of the largest home building 
corporations in the United States and continues to rake in millions 
of dollars from rainforest destruction.

The home construction industry is the largest consumer of wood
 products in the world, accounting for nearly 72% of all lumber 
used in the United States. Hemlock and cedar from the Great Bear
Rainforest of Canada, endangered woods from the Amazon, tropical
hardwoods from Southeast Asia, are all being destroyed to 
build American homes.

Fortunately reducing wood use in home construction does not
 mean ending home building. Instead it means drawing on a 
wealth of already available alternatives, from designing more
 wood-efficient homes to using certified forest products and 
non-wood materials such as recycled steel, recycled plastics,
 and earth architecture.

Are we done with Home Depot and the rest of the home improvement
 industry? Not until we are sure that the companies are following
 through with their high profile promises to go old growth free. 
These companies are just beginning the process of canceling 
contracts with suppliers of old growth wood and developing 
new environmental programs. And you can be sure that we '11
 be checking up on them every step of the way. However, 
now that these mega companies have committed to 
phasing out old growth, we have an exceptional opportunity
 to lead the home building industry to quickly follow suit.

In the coming months we plan to wrap up more major victories
for the forests, but I need you to take a few moments right now to do this:

1. Download and send the displayed letter to Robert J. Strudler, chairman and Co-
CEO of US Home.  U.S. Home needs to catch up with its peers and
change its forest destroying habits.  A quick and active response from the
public in the next few months will ensure that we can capitalize on the
momentum from the sweeping changes taking place in the retail home
improvement industry.

Robert J. Strudler, Chairman and Co-Chief Executive
U.S. Home Corporation
10707 Clay Road, Houston, Texas 77041

I am writing to urge your company to help build a better future
 by constructing homes that are not made from old growth wood. 
Industrial logging in old growth forests is displacing indigenous 
cultures while destroying the habitat of thousands of plant 
and animal species. It is no longer acceptable for your company 
to build homes that leave others homeless.

Many building materials retailers have shown strong leadership
 by phasing out their egregious wood supply. Home Depot, 
Lowe's and others realize that the public no longer supports 
old growth logging and won't support companies which refuse 
to change. Additionally, homebuilders Centex and Kaufman &
 Broad have already made commitments to go old growth free.
 It's time for your company to follow suit.

I urge you, as the Chairman and Chief Executive for your firm,
 to take progressive strides to protect old growth forests. By taking
 a leadership role in ending the practice of building homes with 
old growth forest products, you have the opportunity to set a
 new standard of respect for the environment. Please write to
 let me know where you stand on this critical issue.