In 1986, 50 acres of rainforest were disappearing every minute, and 2 dozen species become extinct every day. The disappearance of the rainforest was a crisis, and Daniel Katz responded. With a dedicated group of volunteers, he founded the Rainforest Alliance, a nonprofit organization that approaches conservation from a business perspective in order to preserve biodiversity. The organization operates under the principle of making sustainability an economically beneficial option.
The Rainforest Alliance requires companies, farms, working forests, ranchlands, and hotels to comply with environmental standards, and when they have, the Rainforest Alliance connects them to the global marketplace of conscientious consumers. By protecting the ecosystems from which these companies gain their resources, the RFA actually improves their productivity and the economic sustainability of their business. When a company meets all of the Rainforest Alliance’s standards, they will become RFA Certified or RFA Verified, and they can include the above logo on their products.
The Rainforest Alliance also emphasizes education about rainforest and wildlife conservation through their original curriculum and their Adopt-a-Rainforest program. Through this program, organizations, school groups, or even individuals can donate regularly to a small, local program that is working to protect a rainforest. The program connects people on an intimate level to a rapidly disappearing natural wonder, and it teaches them about environmental protection.
What can you do? Rainforest Alliance’s 9 Tips on “Greening” Your Home