Think Positive. Think Wood

On this, some of us would rightfully agree and some others would even take pride in the matter. As nature used to dictate our needs, and even our greatest efforts and desires but this is not the case anymore. Humanity has managed to surpass, to a certain extent, nature’s will. Just look above! You won't see the scary lightning to storm our imagination in the wildest way; what you see today are the skyscrapers that defy the heights and all that our ancestors knew before we came into being. These incredibly tall and gracious buildings signify no more or less than the human dominance on this planet.

However, we all know it: we have gone too far. This planet is something given to us (either by God or as a direct result of a Big Bang, you are the one to choose for yourselves…). Our planet is our place and we are actually dealing with 'something' (a home, a dwelling, an inheritance, if you'd like to see it this way) that needs protection rather than solely exploitation. In other words, the crucial question remains: do we really want to wipe out nature? Don't we still need it, after all? This question is rhetorical, of course! As we know it by now that we cannot still live outside our natural habitat and we surely cannot go on on living without taking care of our natural habitat - we will run out of oxygen after all!

The devastation we have brought to this planet already weights heavily on our shoulders. Economic growth is necessary (and, in times of economic crisis such as the ones we live in, this is to be a stringent matter). Nevertheless, we can agree upon that, but only if taking into consideration the fact that we are not supposed to annihilate everything that surrounds us…

We certainly cannot turn back time. The return to an imaginary idyllic historical era where Europe was full of forests is simply outside reason, for instance. Modern civilization took shape after large deforestation. Where forests once used to flourish people started building towns and then cities, civilizations flourished in urban centers. The question today, though, could as well be if we are “planning” to live in a world where all other life will vanish. Situations have changed…

Deforestation was needed when we were laying the foundations of modern life. Today, deforestation threatens the life of the ecosystem. Therefore, in a strange twist of fate, it threatens the foundations of the same modern life we once created!  In that sense, we need strict governmental policies in order to protect the habitat and consequently ourselves. U.S.A., China, India, the E.U. are obliged to take action. Now!  At the same time, multinational companies should take responsibility too. It’s their duty actually!

The Body Shop, a leading brand in cosmetics and bodycare products, seems to have taken seriously the fact that the manner in which companies understand the phrase “doing business” must change, rather now than later. Together with the World Land Trust, the Body Shop has launched a “green campaign” that aims to protect the forests. The goal of the company is quite plain and simple: they plant to plant and protect more trees than they use for their products’ packaging.

The place of interest for the company is the Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil and the Southern Andes in Ecuador. The former is one of the most endangered natural habitats of the world, home to 400 different species, while the latter area is comprised by tropical forests that also face extinction. According to the company’s calculations, they use around 6.000 tons of paper each year; that equals 100.000 trees. Their objective is to plant trees around half this number and protect another 50.000. Fair enough!

One can only hope that more and more leading companies will treat this issue as responsibly and as wisely as the urgent ecological problem today ought to be treated. One can always hope for the best…