For Immediate Release
September 9, 1996
Contacts: Rick Spencer, 910-854-2957
Mike Kramer, 520-206-0214
RAINFOREST ACTIVISTS ATTACK THOMASVILLE FURNITURE;
DELIVER MESSAGE, "BOYCOTT MAHOGANY- SAVE THE AMAZON"
Tucson-Protesters hit the pavement in front of the Thomasville showroom,
urging customers to boycott the company until they stop using endangered
mahogany. About 20 activsts, representing EarthCulture will be holding
signs and banners, and will be chanting at...
Legal stands of Latin American Mahogany have been depleted so much that
pirate loggers often invade indigenous or wildlife reserves in the Amazon
to supply the US and Europe with luxury furniture items. At least eight
tribes in Brazil have had members murdered at the hands of
mahogany loggers, for defending their rightful lands.
In 1994, CITES, an international regulatory board nearly placed the species
on its endangered list, which would have severely restricted its trade. Two
other species of mahogany are on the list. The Brazilian government has
recognized international environmental and human rights
protests, and had the foresight to place a two-year moratorium on cutting
all natural stands of mahogany. This legislation, passed in July, is
monumental and was coupled with other rainforest protection measures.
The measure severely cuts the supply of mahogany imports, and EarthCulture
wants Thomasville and other furniture companies to stop using mahogany and
other rainforest woods, and use sustainable domestic alternatives.
Thomasville is one of the largest users of mahogany in the US and is
EarthCulture's primary target in this campaign. Other users include: Lane,
Hickory Chair, La-Z-Boy, Drexel Heritage, and Ethan Allen.
"By refusing to buy mahogany and other rainforest woods, US consumers can
help stop the extinction of a species, the Amazon people, and our most
important and diverse ecosystem," says Rick Spencer, EarthCulture's
Programs Director. "Companies like Thomasville must either save mahogany by
stopping its usage now, or be responsible for it's complete extinction.
Once mahogany is gone, it is gone forever."
Local activist, Mike Kramer said, "We lose an area of rainforest the size
of a football field every second and we're here to save them and the
millions of species that live there."
# # #
(
geocities.com/rainforest)