rainforests

Sinar Mas remains a notorious forest destroyer, as its own audit shows

Posted by jamie — 10 August 2010 at 3:48pm - Comments

An important fact about the Sinar Mas group: it is destroying carbon-rich rainforests and peatlands in Indonesia, including endangered wildlife habitat.

If you take away one thing from this post, that's the most important.

Today, the notorious forest destroyer tried to clear its name as it released an audit it commissioned to examine Greenpeace investigations of its oil palm plantations. Ironically, the audit confirms that Sinar Mas has been clearing forests and peatland, but rather than acknowledging this Sinar Mas is trying to hide the audit through a greenwash exercise.

What happened after you left that comment on Nestlé's Facebook page?

Posted by jamie — 10 August 2010 at 10:09am - Comments

Laura from our international office updates on what's been going on since Nestlé's Facebook page went into meltdown.

"Social media: as you can see, we're learning as we go. Thanks for the comments." On 19 March, that was the status message on Nestlé's Facebook fan page - which had already been under siege for three days. The message didn't stay up there for long but it was obviously in recognition of the page administrator's poor handling of the comments and criticisms that had been streaming in since the launch of our KitKat ad spoof.

Those of us following social media/marketing blogs know what happened to Nestlé's online reputation - it quickly became synonomous with words like: "disaster", "kitkatastrophe", "nightmare", "meltdown" and so on. But what did all of those Facebook comments do for Indonesia's rainforests?

Actress Marion Cottilard discovers the problems of the Congo rainforest

Posted by jamie — 6 August 2010 at 11:12am - Comments

In June, Oscar-winning French superstar Marion Cottilard - currently playing in Inception at all good multiplexes - took a trip to the Congo rainforest with Greenpeace campaigners to see for herself the effect that the logging industry is having on the forest and the people who live there.

Help save the rainforests at Big Chill and Vintage At Goodwood

Posted by jamie — 5 August 2010 at 1:23pm - Comments

Glastonbury is the big fixture in our festival calendar but throughout the summer our events crew are setting up shop at other big country bashes. They're getting people involved with our campaign to save the rainforests (see our new forest defenders making monkeys of themselves in the slideshow above) as well as providing plenty of activities to provide an alternative to the music stages.

Latitude and Womad have been and gone, but this weekend it's their first visit to the Big Chill. If you're heading that way look out for the Banksy backdrop where you can put yourself in the picture and declare your support, like hundreds of other people have already done.

How Sinar Mas is expanding its empires of destruction

Last edited 29 July 2010 at 10:15am
Publication date: 
29 July, 2010

Sinar Mas group is notorious for its destruction of millions of hectares of Indonesian rainforest, peatland and wildlife habitat. Two divisions within the group lead the destruction: pulp and palm oil. Recently, the group has diversified into coal.

New photographic evidence, aerial monitoring and field analysis details how the Sinar Mas group continues to clear rainforest containing priceless biodiversity - such as orang-utan habitat - and carbon-rich peatlands, despite public promises it has made to clean up its act.

Download the report:

Will notorious forest destroyer Sinar Mas come clean?

Posted by victoria.chan — 29 July 2010 at 9:59am - Comments

Guest blogger Laura Kenyon from our international office reveals the latest evidence we've collected showing how Sinar Mas breaking its own commitments on protecting rainforests and peatlands.

The short answer: not likely.

In fact, not only will they not be likely to come 'clean', but today we are releasing fresh evidence that Sinar Mas's notorious forest-destroying practices continue unabated and in direct violation of the company's own environmental commitments on protecting forests and peatlands.

Proposed forest law threatens Amazon rainforest

Posted by jamie — 5 July 2010 at 12:17pm - Comments

In Brazil, moves are afoot to amend a piece of legislation which has been protecting the Amazon rainforest for over 70 years, and not for the better. If the changes are voted through, it could mean that the area of the Amazon which can be legally destroyed will double, and it's the backers of these changes - the agriculture, biofuels and energy barons - who stand to benefit as they argue that pesky forest laws are a hindrance to economic development. 

Let it all out - Glasto shouts against rainforest destruction

Posted by jossc — 28 June 2010 at 2:43pm - Comments

Once again this year we teamed up with Mi7 Records to put on live music in the Greenpeace field. Following last year's success with the Departure Lounge, where we put on acts including Laura Marling and Mumford and Sons, this time around we decided to step up our game.

Countdown to Glastonbury 2010

Posted by jossc — 24 June 2010 at 11:20am - Comments

Volunteers are hard at work preparing the Greenpeace field for the 40th Glastonbury festival, now just two days away. Forest campaigner Ian explains why rainforest destruction is the central theme this year, and gives a personal demonstration of our very popular solar/biomass on-site showers...

You'll find a full listing of all the goodies available to festival goers in the Greenpeace field this time around on the official festival site.

Making the best of the festival: our top 10 tips »

Over 1m hectares of rainforest still condemned in Indonesian deal

Last edited 27 May 2010 at 11:48am
27 May, 2010

A DEAL announced today to protect Indonesia's rainforests still does not protect millions of hectares of rainforest, home to some of the last remaining orangutans, warned Greenpeace. 

Indonesia will stop handing out permits for companies to chop down rainforests and drain peatlands for two years under the agreement. But those companies that have already received permission will still be allowed to trash large areas of the remaining rainforests. 

And there is concern that there could be a rush to get permits before the government starts its temporary halt. 

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