Be a responsible consumer and buy sustainable rainforest products. It CAN make a difference if the rainforest is to be saved from destruction. What really is sustainability? It is when the functions and processes of an ecosystem can be maintained (or sustained) while meeting the needs of the present and without compromising the needs of future generations. Most present economic models ignores environmental degradation when assessing profits. For an economy like ours in the U.S. whose growth and health is defined by the intensive exploitation of natural resources, we MUST integrate principles of sustainability if we are to survive.
As we promote products like those listed below, be aware that there is a limited amount which can be consumed. The concept of sustainability transcends the traditional rules of "supply and demand" as each ecosystem determines the ceiling of its productivity. Overconsumption is a driving force behind deforestation. The primary question for us must be, not which herbal supplement, ice cream, or candy should I buy, but, do I need to buy this?
There are many factors that must be taken into consideration. The first step is to support the land and resource rights and economies of indigenous peoples. These knowledgeable people have inhabited rainforests for millenia without destroying them. We
need them to teach us how to use the forests without damaging them. There are medicines, foods and other unknown treasures that can be harvested without jeopardizing the future. Preserving indigenous cultures is key to saving the rainforest. Those from developed countries have much to learn from indigenous peoples in terms of our relationship with the Earth. By respecting and allowing them to lead the way towards a true, stable utilization of this bountiful resource, if they choose to utilize it in any commercial way at all, we have the potential of achieving true sustainability.
Being a responsible consumer is hard work. How can you tell if a product has been sustainably harvested? It is difficult. Ask questions. Find out where your purchases really come from. Where are your dollars really going? Who is benefitting from the profit? Is any of the profit returned to the indigenous people supplying rainforest products or raw materials? How much? Who receives the funds there? As a consumer, you are directly affecting the economy and ecology of the globe. You do have power - it's called purchasing power! Use it!
Thank you for your support!
PURCHASE RAINTREE'S
RAINFOREST PRODUCTS
Other Sustainable
Rainforest Products
Cultural Survival Inc.
96 Mount Auburn Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Tel: 617-441-5400,
Website: http://www.cs.org/
Looking for a truly unique gift? This wonderful non-profit organization supports human rights and cultural autonomy of indigenous peoples and
oppressed ethnic minorities. Please support this organization by purchasing their unique arts and crafts made by indigenous peoples in their new online Crafts Market. Check it out!
Jatun Sacha Foundation
Pasaje Eugenio de Santillán N34-248 y Maurián.
Quito, Ecuador
Phone: 432-240, 432-173 432-246
Website
A private, non-profit Ecuadorian foundation offering arts, crafts and jewerly made sustainable forest-gathered materials and resources.
One World Projects, Inc.
21 Ellicott Avenue
Batavia, NY 14020-2010
Telephone: (716) 343-4490
Website
Founded in 1993, One World Projects is perhaps the largest distributor and importer of rain forest products in terms of the types of products and number of producer groups they support. Their primary mission is to develop markets for products made from renewable forest resources which can be harvested in a sustainable manner without damage to the forest ecosystem, while providing rain forest inhabitants
with a just means of economic subsistence.
From the Rainforest
270 Lafayette St.
New York, NY 10002
Tel: (800) EAR-TH96
All natural, preservative-free, nut and fruit mixes that includes mango, papaya, pineapple, banana chips, cashews, Brazil nuts, and coconut from the rainforests.
Yachana Gourmet
Francisco Andrade Marin 188 y Diego de Almagro
P.O.Box 17-17-185
Quito, Ecuador
Phone: (5932) 2237-133 - Fax: (5932) 2220-362
Website: http://www.yachanagourmet.com/
YACHANA GOURMET ™ and the people along the Napo River work together to bring exotic rainforest tastes to your table. Their product line includes tropical fruit spreads and chocolates. This micro-enterprise provides an alternative source of income for the families who live in the rainforest and minimizes the destruction of the rainforest that is associated with other kinds of agricultural practices.
Toucan Chocolates
P.O. Box 72,
Waban, MA 02168
Tel: (617) 964-8696
(800) 816-8696.
Beautifully boxed chocolates containing Brazil nuts and cashews from the Amazon rainforest. Colorful packaging is environmentally sensitive. Call for a free catalog
Wild Things, Inc.
1-888-REALGUM
P.O. Box 2633
Gainesville, FL 32602
Website
Offers Jungle Gum, tapped from Chicle trees in the
rainforest by rainforest people called chicleros. Jungle Gum marks
the return of a natural product that was overwhelmed by
modernization. Chewed first by the Maya, chicle, a tree sap, is
collected from a tree species native to specific forests of lowland
tropical Central America. It is an all natural alternative to the
petroleum based gum products in all other chewing gums now.
Forests of the World
204 W. Main Street
Carrboro, NC 27510
(919) 969-8300
Website: www.forestsoftheworld.com/
Great rainforest arts, crafts, candles, seeds, and educational
materials.
Golden Temple of Oregon, Inc.
Website www.peacecereal.com or www.goldentemple.com
Rainforest Crisp and Rainforest Flakes cereals made with natural ingredients and sustainably harvested nuts and fruits from cooperatives in Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. Packaging is of recycled materials and soy-based inks
Amazon Origins, Inc.
P.O. Box 360
Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44022 USA
Website
Manufactures and sells unique food items and candy using sustainably harvested fruits, and coffee from the Amazon rainforest. They donate a percentage of their sales profit to The Kapok Foundation.
Ward's Pond Farm
RFD. 3, Box 1380
Morrisville, VT 05661
Tel: (802) 888-3001
Quality fancy Brazilian cashew pieces prepared with maple syrup and sea salt. Smoked or roasted.
Walnut Acres
Penns Creek
PA 17862
Tel: (800) 433-3998
Two varieties of honey mixed together. Gathered from wild beehives by rural cooperatives in Zambia and Tanzania. Bulk wholesale or retail.
Moonshine Trading Co.
P.O. Box 896
Winters, CA 95694
Tel: (916) 753-0601
Gourmet Nut Butters, Spreads, Honey.
Rainforest Products Inc.
P.O. Box 250
Mill Valley, CA. 94942
Tel: (415) 383-8111
Natural granola cereal with cashews, Brazil nuts and other edible snacks.
Blue Planet Trading Co.
717 Simundson Dr.# 111
Point Roberts, WA 98281
Tel: (604) 251-4277
Rainforest Riches Chocolates. A great variety of chocolate products with cashews and Brazil nuts.
Equatorial Imports, Inc.
PO Box 31698
Seattle, WA 98103-1698
(800) 767-8249
http://www.solrio.com
Manufactures and distributes Sol Rio Guaraná Soft Drinks, a new line of flavored soft drinks that uses guarana from the Brazilian Amazon.
Rainforest Imports
email: support@rainforestimports.net
website: http://www.rainforestimports.net
Offers various arts and crafts from South American artisans and craftsmen who live in rainforest communities.
Please Note! Raintree does NOT sell or market live plants or viable seeds for planting, nor do we provide cultivation information on rainforest plants. Please try these resources for these types of products:
The RainSeed Company
P.O. Box 658
Elberta, AL 36530
800-965-4299 or 251-943-3315
Fax 251-943-1716.
http://rainseed.com/
Rainforest plant seeds primarily gathered from a 1500-acre virgin rainforest in Costa Rica that was saved from logging some 15 years ago.
Tropical Rainforest Seed Co.
PO Box 3004-311
Corvallis, OR 97339
Tel: (503) 765-3323
Website and Online Shopping
Tropical rainforest houseplant seeds which are sustainably harvested, easy to grow and employs native peoples of Costa Rica for organic harvesting.
...of the Jungle Seeds and Plants
P.O. Box 1801
Sebastopol, CA 95473
Catalog $2.00. One of the original ethnobotanicals suppliers. Has a wide variety of hard to find live plants, seeds, extracts and tinctures including many rainforest varieties.
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Last updated 3-20-2010
