Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship Green Sanctuary Program

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Land Use and Conservation "We have always had reluctance to see a tract of land which is empty of men as anything but a void. The 'waste howling wilderness' of Deuteronomy is typical. The Oxford Dictionary defines wilderness as wild or uncultivated land which is occupied 'only' by wild animals. Places not used by us are 'wastes'. Areas not occupied by us are 'desolate.'Could the desolation be in the soul of man?" ~John A. Livingston, in Borden Spears, ed., Wilderness Canada, 1970 Protect Tropical Forests when Purchasing Garden Furniture National Wildlife Federation http://www.nwf.org/forests/gardenfurniture.cfm You can make a difference for wildlife when purchasing garden furniture. Tropical forests are rapidly disappearing. Wildlife are pushed to extinction as habitat is fragmented and lost. Human communities are displaced when the forests are no longer available. Ongoing deforestation of tropical forests contributes an estimated one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, and sacrifices their critical role in carbon sequestration. Tropical forests can slow global warming. Trees trap or "sequester" carbon. They are natural cleaners for our atmosphere. The Garden Furniture Scorecard We contacted some of the largest U.S. garden furniture retailers to ask: Where did the wood in the products come from? Were the products Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified or moving toward FSC certification? We wrote, phoned and visited stores. We made every effort to verify responses. It's not a simple effort to change to FSC-certified wood. We commend all the retailers making an effort. We'll track their progress and let you know how it's going. And we need your help to ask for FSC-certified garden products. Major Retailers That Carry FSC-certified Garden Furniture Companies Score FSC-certified Furniture Collections Notes Crate & Barrel 4 stars Arbor (12 pieces) Crate & Barrel gives preference to vendors offering certified products where price and availability allow. They have some items that are moving to FSC certification - the Trovata collection (15 pieces) and Roseto chair. Pier 1 4 stars Pima Seating (2 pieces) and Tempe Outdoor Dining (3 pieces)   The Home Depot 3 stars Hampton Bay - Amazon Teak (35 pieces) and Sereno (5 pieces) The Home Depot has a wood purchasing policy giving preference to certified products where feasible. Ikea 3 stars BOLLO series (3 pieces), and TIDO folding chair IKEA has established a staircase model with four steps to be achieved by vendors regarding sourcing of raw materials. For high value tropical species the start-up condition is to be certified according to FSC. Lowes 3 stars Highland Teak (16 pieces) Lowes' wood procurement policy supports FSC. Their specific focus for products made with tropical woods is - to either shift the supply to more responsible or certified sources or to eliminate the product from the supply chain. Frontgate 2 stars 25% of the Gloster teak furniture products are manufactured with FSC-certified wood, but the products are not labeled with FSC.   Kmart 2 stars Martha Stewart Everyday Deer Valley (4 pieces), Martha Stewart Everyday Lake Placid (2 pieces), Martha Stewart Everyday St. Cloud (1 piece), and Martha Stewart Everyday Seneca (2 pieces)   Pottery Barn 2 stars Chesapeake Hammock & Stand, Rectangular Market Umbrella, Square Market Umbrella, Round Market Umbrella In early 2007 Pottery Barn's parent company Williams-Sonoma, Inc. began sourcing virtually all the paper used in the company's seven different retail catalogs to sources certified by FSC. Sears 2 stars Woodridge (9 pieces)   Target 2 stars Meraseine (10 pieces), Lounger and Folding Side Table Set They have a collection that is moving toward FSC-certified - the Smith & Hawken Marlton collection (5 pieces) Wal-Mart 1 star