We thought it was appropriate, in our Eco-Travel issue, to shed light on issues affecting the rain forests around the world. Although estimates vary widely, conservative studies suggest more than a million hectares (2.4 million acres) of Indonesian rainforest is cleared and lost each year. Orangutans are losing their habitats due to deforestation, and indigenous peoples are losing their homes. And the world is being deprived of species of medicinal plants that may be gone forever.
Organic Spa Magazine was asked to donate magazines for a benefit for Rainforest Action Network (ran.org), organized by actor Chris Noth, at the Cutting Room in New York City. The event brought together celebrities, ecoglitterati, musicians, concerned citizens and long-time supporters to help save rain forests, fight climate change, support the rights of indigenous peoples and encourage corporations to clean up toxic dumping in the Amazon and change policies regarding paper and palm oil.
Chris Noth, star of The Good Wife and Sex in the City, has been a rain forest defender for over 20 years. “I am a country boy. I love nature. And I hate to see it being destroyed,” Noth told Organic Spa Magazine. “It’s a question of consciousness,” he says. “We need to adjust on a bigger level, and get the point across that we need a radical transformation toward green energy.” The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a report in 2010 that examined 164 different energy scenarios and found that with the right policies in place, renewable energy can supply up to 43% of energy in 2030 and 77% in 2050.
Whoopi Goldberg told us: “I don’t always wait to be green. Sometimes it’s a pain in the butt,” she says. “But there are things you can do. You just need to re-train yourself. Craziness is happening, with global warming. The younger generation is already on top of it. But we need to remind ourselves not to be lazy.” Especially when you consider what is at stake.
Want to hear more about the event? Check out this article.