This week sees the release of our annual growth figures for 2011, and what a growth we’ve seen in sustainable forestry, agriculture, tourism, climate change and environmental education. The upswing reflects increased recognition of Rainforest Alliance certification that is driving new and ongoing collaborations with farmers, foresters and businesses worldwide. Read the rest of this entry ?
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Growing from Strength to Strength
12/04/2012How We Are…Curbing Climate Change
10/04/2012Continuing with our How We Are series, today we take a look at our work around curbing climate change. The How We Are series is a chance for you to find out what we are doing in areas such as climate change, forestry, poverty alleviation and business transformation, and the impacts we are achieving along the way.
Rising sea levels. Extreme weather shifts. Severe flooding. Increasingly frequent and intense natural disasters. If we don’t do something about climate change now, all could become a reality. While some climate change is the result of natural processes, the most significant shifts in the Earth’s temperature are caused by human activities — specifically, by the excessive release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere, largely the result of deforestation, agricultural conversion and unsustainable tourism.
Easter Special: From Bean to Bar
05/04/2012With chocolate eggs being exchanged all over the UK this Sunday in celebration of Easter Day, it’s only right that today’s blog is a chocolaty offering…
A brief history
One of the oldest cultivated plants, cocoa originated in the Amazon basin in South America and travelled north as far as Mexico. Indigenous tribes believed cocoa was planted by gods. Cocoa beans were so highly valued that they were used as money until the 1800s.
Aztecs and Mayans first created xocolatla – a hot chocolate drink often mixed with vanilla or chilli peppers. Ecuador was once the primary producer of cocoa, but today about 80 percent is grown in the West African nations of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. Read the rest of this entry ?
How We Are…Protecting Wildlife
03/04/2012In the first of this month’s How We Are series we take a look at our work focusing on wildlife protection. The How We Are series is a chance for you to discover what we are doing and our impacts in areas such as climate change, forestry, poverty alleviation and business transformation. Read on to find out how we are protecting wildlife.
Forests are home to some two-thirds of the world’s plants and animals. As they are cleared and degraded, the unique flora and fauna that depend on these ecosystems become threatened with extinction. To protect endangered species — such as mountain gorillas, whooping cranes and giant pandas — and prevent those not currently threatened from joining this list, we must protect forests. Read the rest of this entry ?
Follow the Frog Week is back
28/03/2012
We’ve just announced that our 2nd annual Follow the Frog Week will take place from 17-21 September 2012, giving coffee shops, cafes and other food service businesses the chance to bring sustainability to their customers.
Following last year’s success, we’re once again asking the food service industry to highlight how, by choosing products with the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ green frog seal, consumers can make a difference to the way commodities are farmed and the impact this has on lives, livelihoods, landscapes and wildlife. Read the rest of this entry ?
Bringing together tour operators committed to sustainability
13/03/2012
The UK tourism industry was today presented with the opportunity to promote and support sustainable tourism through our TOPS – Tour Operators Promoting Sustainability – programme. TOPS is a specialised global platform of tour operators dedicated to advancing sustainable tourism practices worldwide. The announcement was made during the Americas annual workshop at the Royal Geographical Society in London. Read the rest of this entry ?
Rainforest Alliance’s Green Guide to Mother’s Day
12/03/2012
Mother’s Day is less than a week away, so make sure you spoil your mum without spoiling the environment with the help of the Rainforest Alliance’s green gift guide. By giving a gift with the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) seal you will be helping to protect the environment and wildlife, and promote sustainable livelihoods of farmers, farm workers and their families around the world. Make your mum and Mother Nature happy all in one go… Read the rest of this entry ?
International Women’s Day 2012 – Moon of the Morning Project
08/03/2012
Photo courtesy of Quilla Pacari
To celebrate International Women’s Day, today’s blog takes us 10,682 feet above sea level to the Ecuadorian community of San Francisco de Cunuguachay in the Chimborazo province. Here, a group of women run a tourism project called Quilla Pacari or “Moon of the Morning”, which aims to improve the well-being of their families and the community in general. Read the rest of this entry ?
Changing Behaviour Through Training
24/02/2012
Dennis Oppong
Today’s blog comes from Dennis Oppong, Assistant Project Leader of Agro Eco-Louis Bolk Institute, Rainforest Alliance’s implementing partner in Ghana. In his role, he is a technician, trainer and field coordinator of the iMPACT (Mars Partnership for African Cocoa Communities of Tomorrow) project. Here, Dennis gives us some real examples of the difference that training can make on everyday farming practices… Read the rest of this entry ?
Five Surprising Things That Come From Forests
22/02/2012- Forests are skilled multi-taskers: They house countless wildlife species, protect soils and water sources, prevent erosion, help regulate the global climate and provide us with the goods we use every day, including wood, paper, coffee and cocoa. But did you know that the following five items also originate in forests?
