Rainforest Action Network

I am an alum of Iona College in New Rochell, New York, where I graduated Cum Laude with a honor’s degree in management.

I enjoy working out, being with friends and family, reading, and I’m a huge fan of watching and going to movies. I aspire to one day work on the business end of motion pictures.

My biggest concerns about the environment are with sustainability issues stemming from deforestation and pollution. I worry not only about my generation being able to live in a sustainable world, but more so for future generations.

As I conducted research for my senior honors thesis over the past year and a half, I became aware of the threats – both immediate and long-term – that arise from deforestation. As an environmentally conscious member of society, these threats (carbon emissions, global warming, etc.) make me very nervous about the future well-being of our planet…especially if we don’t end the damage being done.

I was introduced to RAN and its work for our planet by my thesis advisor, Dr. Fredrica Rudell. She inspired me to research RAN, and what I learned about the organization was truly inspiring in itself.

My thesis is titled, “Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest: Impacts, Causes, and ‘Green Business’ Solutions.” So naturally, RAN’s activism for the Amazon fit into my research perfectly. A good portion of my final product discusses RAN’s efforts for the environment, as well as some of its victories; I stress the importance of RAN, and the fact that more people need to get involved in similar activities.

It only seemed natural to donate to RAN as a token of my gratitude for its work.

RAN makes changes in corporate America. After researching early RAN victories over corporations like Burger King, The Home Depot, CitiGroup, and the drawn out battle against Boise Cascade (to name only a few), I was in awe that such a small organization could take on and bring change to multi-billion dollar companies. Yet, as the saying goes, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” And RAN has proven that time and again.

The heart and dedication of the people who make up and support RAN is most inspiring to me, but the incident that really stands out in my mind’s eye is when Goldman Sachs reached out to RAN in 2005 for help and support to become more environmentally conscious—which is evidence that the benefits of having RAN on your side are becoming increasingly more apparent to big corporations.

RAN is relentless and refuses to quit, and does everything in its power to make itself heard. Some may say RAN is corporate America’s biggest adversary, but what makes RAN shine is that once a target corporation admits that they need to become more environmentally conscious, RAN helps them do so.

As far as I’m concerned, RAN is corporate America’s biggest ally—because without a sustainable planet, there will be no world to do business in.