Give me a break, give me a break, break me off a piece of that Orangutan Finger

GreenPeace’s newest feature, reminding us with bloody humor that we are paying the corporations to do what they do… which in this case is rainforest destruction.

Congratulations to Ride for the Trees Beneficiary for Earning Charity Navigator’s Highest 4-star Ranking!!

I am pleased to quote the email I recently received from World Land Trust-US, the official Ride for the Trees beneficiary:

“We have earned Charity Navigator‘s coveted 4 STAR RATING for being one of the most efficient conservation nonprofits in the US. World Land Trust-US is proud to be recognized for our effectiveness in directing your support to real and lasting conservation actions.”

We’re owning this. As you probably know we have collectively pledged and raised about $23,000 to support forest conservation in Paraguay! The fundraising goal is $100,000.  With your help awareness is still spreading, and friends of friends of friends have donated. As deforestation continues (not just the 2,000 trees per minute you hear about in the Amazon, but also on scattered plots, little-by-little, like in the photo above) supporters continue to donate, little-by-little. We are counteracting the loss as much as possible, helping to protect indigenous communties’ habitats against illegal destruction. I am incredibly thankful to each and every one of you for your support.

I know donating is not a possibility for everybody right now and if you cannot donate I completely understand. For those wish to contribute here is the link: http://www.firstgiving.com/rideforthetrees

New Video and Huarango Deforestation

1) New video! Join my roommate and me for a jog through Cuenca in search of the man who may or may not have urinated on that sidewalk. Sure, it has nothing to do with conservation or social issues, but I don’t think you’ll mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkrOEIZfuWI 

2) Yesterday a link was posted on my facebook wall about deforestation in Ica, Peru. My first thought was, ICA?! I rode through Ica a few months ago. It was the driest place I can imagine. So when I hear there’s deforestation in a place that I remember as endless sand dunes, let’s just say it piques my interest. Thanks to Bradford for the post! Here’s the article.

Photo and quote from the New York Times: “Following centuries of systematic deforestation, only about 1 percent of the original huarango woodlands that once existed in the Peruvian desert remain.”