By Rainforest Action Network works all year educating, organizing and mobilizing people to address some of the most pressing environmental issues of our day—the effect of deforestation and dirty energy on human rights, ecosystems and the climate. From CSR to CEOs, RAN is known as a force to be reckoned with in scores of Fortune 500 companies. Wall Street Journal calls us “some of the savviest environmental agitators in the business.” We call ourselves committed.
It’s that time of year when we all think about what organizations, campaigns and movements have inspired us over the last twelve months, and which ones we’re willing to financially support for the next twelve. With a very tight budget and much to tackle in 2012, I say to you, please consider supporting Rainforest Action Network. Here’s a few good reasons why you might think we’re worth it:
5 You believe dismantling corporate power has become an absolute imperative.
Rainforest Action Network has been challenging corporate power since our founding in 1986. We are in a moment, thanks to the emergence of the Occupy Movement, where critiques of our corporate-ruled economic system have gone from the fringe to the forefront of society. If you’re ready to tame runaway corporate rule, RAN is the right organization to get behind.
4 You understand a healthy global climate requires healthy local forests and renewable energy sources.
Deforestation and the burning of dirty fossil fuels are two of the biggest drivers of global climate change. You get a lot of bang for your buck by giving to RAN, as giving to this organization means supporting our work to save rainforests, to stop reckless oil and coal companies in their tracks, and to push Big Banks to finance our renewable energy future.
3 You feel all species have the right to habitat and harmony.
We are currently facing one of the most destructive extinction events in Earth’s history— known as the Sixth Mass Extinction—with an estimated loss of 30,000 species per year. This sort of reality check can either leave you incredibly depressed and paralyzed or completely resolved to do something about it.
2 You see that Indigenous communities are the best stewards of the forest.
History shows that in tropical regions where ownership and management of forests lies with Indigenous and local communities, both forests and local water supplies are sustained. Not only that, but more carbon dioxide is sequestered per acre, the effect of which reverberates well beyond the rainforest to our global climate. Rainforest Action Network stands for the rights of Indigenous and rural allies in rainforests around the world. Join us.
1 You know that thriving intact biodiverse forests are priceless.
Our long term survival, and the survival of so many species, depends on the Earth’s forests remaining intact. It’s that simple. And though the nefarious causes of deforestation may seem impossible to face, RAN is determined to fight them head on— with you by our side.
Over the last year, the entire world has woken up from a slumber that allowed corporations in collusion with corrupt governments to make the crucial decisions on human rights and our natural resources. Those days are over. You know it, you can feel it. So can all of us on staff at Rainforest Action Network. Let’s fight hard together in 2012 for the just and thriving world we’ve all been dreaming about. We need you. You need us. Let’s do this thing.
