In some parts of the world, the Christmas season only now is in full swing. At Chez Kroehler, the gifts under the sustainable Christmas tree were unwrapped before Catrin and I were tucked snug in our bed on Christmas Eve and the decorations all were stowed before we opened the egg nog on December 31st.
I wish to begin the new year with an examination of a very important issue and statement of my formal position on the topic of working forests and sustainable commercial forestry. There is no lack of controversy on these marks but achieving consensus is vital if we are to embrace the full panoply of ways to stop global warming with the zeal they deserve.
One firm intimately involved in commercial forestry is Weyerhaeuser. I will make few friends in the inner circle of the environmental community by stating this but Weyerhaeuser must be treated as an ally if we are to progress toward a truly sustainable and environmentally just future. Indeed, Weyerhaeuser reforestation projects are the first aspect of the larger issue of working forests which I would like to engage.
Before I do so, however, I ask that you indulge me in a brief, interrogatory digression:
Was your 2007 Christmas tree paper or plastic?
You see, in our family, the plastic Christmas tree is so old as to become an heirloom. Yes, it was manufactured more than 3 decades ago. It has seen so many yuletide seasons come and go that one reasonably could call it the progenitor of sustainable Christmas trees. It was made before the environmental movement in the United States had begun advocating in earnest for sustainable forestry.
Now, of course, we understand the vital role which sustainable forests play in habitat preservation, carbon sequestration and planetary temperature regulation. However, in what way does all of this bear on the commercial harvesting of sustainable Christamas trees? I do not wish to appear coy but I cannot fully answer that question without first providing an adequate definition of sustainable forestry.
So, I will give you the short answer right now about your tree and how to dispose of it properly or store it for next December. Then, over the course of the next several installments here on Keyboard Culture, I will provide you with everything you need to know in order to choose the greenest option for your Christmas tree as the 2008 holiday season draws nigh.
The answer begins with some homework. Don't panic. The assignment will take you just a few minutes. Please open the following URL and take the quiz. It will give you the basis for my answer about sustainable Christmas trees and Weyerhaeuser reforestation projects.
No, really! You will enjoy the experience. I promise.
http://www.abundantforests.org/eiq_quiz.html
Sustainable Justice For All!
Corbett Kroehler
Ask
a Question or Leave a Comment
(0)
Digg This 
Del.icio.us