RAN’s theory of change is built right into our name. We identify the biggest problems, we find the right targets, and we take action.
In 1985, Randy “Hurricane” Hayes and Mike Roselle knew that if we wanted to make a difference for the planet, we had to go big. So RAN pioneered the corporate campaigning model. We target the biggest players— like Home Depot, Citicorp, or Chevron. We make big statements — like dropping banners in Union Square or shutting down a coal plant. And then we get them to the negotiating table — and the real work begins.
Van Jones
CNN political contributor, founder of Green for All & author of Rebuild the Dream
Honest and effective partnerships with Indigenous and frontline communities.
At RAN, we know that the best solutions for preserving ecosystems come from the communities that depend on them. Building lasting relationships and developing working partnerships is not only the right thing to do, but it is vital to achieving our mission. That’s why we have a long history of Community Action Grants, directly supporting activists across the globe — from South America to Africa, and from Appalachia to Southeast Asia.
Wall Street Journal
We tackle some of the biggest problems of the 21st century — climate change, extreme fossil fuel extraction, massive deforestation and rampant labor abuse. But we don’t target one company at a time. We target whole industrial sectors.
We fight for systemic change because it’s not about what is possible — it’s about what is necessary.
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RAN hangs its first banner off the World Bank's headquarters.
Kicking off a worldwide movement to highlight the destructive lending practices of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, RAN hangs its first banner off the World Bank's Washington, D.C., headquarters.
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Where is that burger really coming from?
In 1987, RAN wins its first campaign right out of the gate when Burger King agrees to cancel $35 million in cattle contracts that tear up Central American rainforests.
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Hollywood and hardwood.
Under pressure from RAN, Hollywood's major studios agree to phase out the use of lauan, a tropical forest hardwood used in set design, and switch to alternative wood products.
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The New Alliance.
RAN was on the frontlines at the 1999 Seattle WTO Protests bringing together one of the earliest and strongest coalitions of labor, environmentalists and social justice advocates in the United States.
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Home Depot commits to stop selling wood from endangered forests.
Home Depot, the world's largest wood products retailer, announces its commitment to stop selling wood from endangered forests. Within the next year, home improvement retailers Wickes Lumber, HomeBase, Menard's, Lowe's, 84 Lumber and Payless Cashways all commit to phase out wood from endangered forests.
From the start, our strategy is clear. We know that we have an incredible role as consumers to identify the biggest culprits of climate change, human rights violations, and rainforest destruction, and we can hold them accountable if we come together.
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3.5 million acres protected in the Great Bear Rainforest.
RAN and a coalition of allies, First Nations communities and logging companies announce the largest rainforest conservation measure in North American history, protecting more than 3.5 million acres of Canada's Great Bear Rainforest.
Photos: Marni Grossman
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"Boise and the Environment."
After three years of relentless RAN campaigning, Boise releases "Boise and the Environment", a policy that makes it the largest American forest products company to eliminate the logging and purchasing of wood and paper products from endangered forests.
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Toronto Dominion becomes the first Canadian bank to adopt a comprehensive environmental policy to guide its financing and operations.
It is also the first bank to recognize the rights of Indigenous peoples to free, prior and informed consent over industrial projects in their traditional territories.
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RAN and allies convince ANZ, Australia's third largest bank, to not fund Australian logging giant Gunns Ltd's controversial Bell Bay pulp mill project in Tasmania.
The pulp mill would have accelerated the conversion of Tasmania's native and old-growth forests to woodchips for export to Japan.
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General Mills issues strongest palm oil policy to date.
General Mills issued one of the strongest palm oil policies to date and commits to getting all of its palm oil from responsible sources by 2015, supporting the call for a moratorium on peat forest conversion and requiring free prior and informed consent (FPIC) from impacted communities.
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Disney, the biggest publisher of children’s books in the world, changes paper policy.
After direct RAN campaigning and 18 months of negotiations, they agreed to a worldwide policy to eliminate rainforest destruction not just from their books, but from all Disney paper products across the globe.
You’ve heard of David and Goliath?
Our corporate targets sure have.
RAN proves that a small group of people can take on the biggest corporations — and win.
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Bank of America had the dubious title of being the number one funder of coal mining.
When we told them we wanted them to stop funding coal, they laughed. After four years of pressure and constant negotiations, they became the first bank in the world to publicly exit the coal mining sector.
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Abercrombie & Fitch commits to a wood-Based fabrics policy.
Thanks to the work of RAN supporters, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. adopted a new policy to address deforestation and related human rights abuses in its supply chain.
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PepsiCo is one of the largest snack food companies in the world.
After six years of campaigning on PepsiCo, undercover field investigations, hundreds of thousands of letters, and countless actions, PepsiCo announced a leading policy and committed to actions to address the destruction of rainforests, the abuse of workers, and the exploitation of communities for Conflict Palm Oil.
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RAN directly supports organizations working on forest preservation and the community impacts of climate change. You can find out more and directly help support these organizations today.