Clermont, Florida, United States
I’m an activist at heart. I feel deeply disturbed seeing the way our societies are wiping out and degrading the ecosystems that are the pillars of life on Earth. And I feel compelled to stop it. When I was young, spending my days in the nearby woods, I affirmed the innate connection with other-than-human beings. The passage of the Endangered Species Act was seminal, as I was alerted to the dire threat to species like the great whales, eagles and falcons and many others. The awareness that an entire life form like a Polar Bear or the African Elephant could be entirely disappeared from Earth was incredibly disturbing to me, as I spent my days among the birds and pitch pines and animal tracks, taking pains to leave no wake. I soon found myself getting petitions signed and, some years later, locking myself to production plant driveways and retail store doorways. In 1989, I co-founded and, for 27 years directed, a forest conservation organization focused on reducing the use of tropical hardwoods and temperate rainforest softwoods. We had some successes, but overall, the use of these materials was a juggernaut. Now I’m continuing that mission in the for-profit arena, pushing and pulling key levers, consulting on truly sustainable wood and non-wood alternatives, and most recently joined an effort to make ‘wood’ products from food wastes — with the help of some wondrous bacteria. Do you care about Earth, the Others, and the continuation of life on this planet? Do you use, buy, specify or design with wood? Do you want to reduce or eliminate — or even reverse — the destruction that has become the norm for the production of wood? Perhaps you’d like to schedule a presentation at your firm? Get in touch and we can make it happen together.
Symmetry Wood™ is creating alternative wood products from bacterial cellulose waste from the food industry. Our patent-pending process will sequester carbon, prevent landfilling of organics and displace the highest-value woods, the often-illegal logging and trade of which result in the greatest rates of forest degradation.
Earthbilt’s main focus is to bring about a shift in demand away from woods and other materials that originate from the destruction of old-growth forests, towards those that are recycled, reclaimed and truly sustainably procured. We consult with architects, designers, engineers and builders on sustainable woods and alternatives, as well as supply a range of “deep green” lumber and manufactured wood and recycled products that are direct alternatives to in-demand tropical hardwoods and temperate rainforest softwoods that are typically used for decking, roofing, siding, paneling and flooring. Not enough attention is being given to large-scale forest degradation due mostly to logging for even small amounts of high-demand timber, in terms of catastrophic climate impact and extinction. Ending the demand for these materials is paramount to any sustainable future. We’ve done the research for 30 years on alternatives, especially for exterior applications. Rainforest Relief became the environmental leaders in this area. Earthbilt has initiated and is advancing the concept of “Slow Wood” (think: “Slow Food”), to help shift buyers to sustainable woods available within their region.
Rainforest Relief works to end the loss of the world’s tropical and temperate rainforests and protect their human and non-human inhabitants by reducing demand for the products of rainforest logging, mining and agricultural conversion, through education, advocacy, research and action.
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