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Deforestation of tropical areas is not only one of the leading causes of climate change, it's constantly putting millions of animals at risk by demolishing their habitats. And guess who's the biggest buyer of rainforest wood in the United States? That headline should've given you a clue--it's the city of New York, led by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Because of this, one of Bloomberg's challengers in the upcoming mayoral race, Reverend Billy Talen (the green movement hero, and leader of the Church of Stop Shopping) staged a satirical protest by the animals forced into homelessness by the city's policies.
Deforestation isn't exactly a hot topic in the mayoral races, unfortunately--the economy, crime, and education soak up most of the spotlight. Which allows the fact that New York City, a leader in so many other areas, continues to buy wood from endangered tropical regions to soar under the radar. Wood from endangered rainforests is still being used to build park benches, miles of boardwalk, and three new marine transfer stations.
In fact, Bloomberg introduced the Tropical Hardwood Reduction Act in February 2008, vowing to cut the amount of tropical wood used in the city by 20%. But he failed to follow up, and no reductions were made--and I can't recall this coming up even once in any public debate.
And the thing is, there are plenty of perfectly reasonable alternatives available to wood harvested from rainforests: Rev. Billy himself advocates "domestic hardwoods, including sugar/thermal treated ash, red oak or maple; black locust; salvaged tropical hardwoods; and/or recycled plastic lumber."
Though Reverend Billy has a slim chance of winning the race--Bloomberg has spent a stunning $40 million or so on his reelection campaign--he's by far the greenest candidate. Learn more about his campaign at Vote Rev. Billy.
