RSF Investors Help Support EcoTimber
According to the 2005 Global Forest Resources Assessment report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, deforestation continues at an alarming rate of about 13 million hectares (32 million acres) a year, an area roughly the size of England. Deforestation affects climate systems and water balance, decimates wildlife, and disrupts the lives of indigenous populations.
One of the causes of deforestation is illegal logging of timber, especially from the world’s tropical hardwood reserves—trees such as teak, mahogany, merbau, and ramin. In Indonesia, 80% of logging is illegal and every year 2.8 million hectares (7 million acres), an area almost as large as Belgium, are lost.1
A company that is promoting forest conservation worldwide is EcoTimber based in San Rafael, California, and a borrower at RSF. Established in 1992, EcoTimber is the nation’s largest hardwood and bamboo flooring manufacturer and distributor devoted exclusively to environmentally friendly flooring products. The company sells sustainably harvested and reclaimed wood products from forests that are certified well-managed according to the rules of the independent certification body Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Recently, Simon Lewis and Wendy Smith from San Francisco chose EcoTimber’s hardwood from Bolivia for their new flooring. The trees were cut one at a time and were grown without pesticides or fertilizers. “It had to be beautiful, but we also wanted to make sure we were conserving nature,” Simon remarked. “The decision to buy eco-friendly wood was the socially responsible thing to do.”2
EcoTimber CEO Lewis Erick Buchner says, “RSF Social Finance is a key financial partner in furthering our mission. People from all over the political spectrum are concerned about keeping our forests intact. And they’re concerned about the chemicals released by products they bring into their homes. By utilizing FSC-certified wood and low- or zero formaldehyde adhesives, we are able to satisfy both concerns.”
For more information on EcoTimber, please visit their website or call 415.258.8454. To find out how you can support socially beneficial organizations through your investment at RSF, please contact Mark Herrera at 415.561.6160.
1 Wadley, Jago, Pallavi Shah, and Sam Lawson, “Behind the Veneer: How Indonesia’s Last Rainforests are being Felled for Flooring,” EIA/Telepak, March 22, 2006, http://www.eia-international.org/files/reports117-1.pdf.
2 Hughes, C.J., “Buying Green Flooring: 10 Options for the Eco-Minded Remodeler,” This Old House.com, http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/knowhow/tools/article/0,16417,1118092,00.html.
Photo: Copyright iStockphoto.com/Nicholas Monu
Friday, August 3rd, 2007