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Breaking News from America's Progressive Community... Latest Releases
Making news? The press releases posted here have been provided to NewsCenter by the one of the many progressive organizations we have selected to participate . If you would like more information about this press release, you should contact the organization directly.
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| OCTOBER 20, 1998
6:59 PM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Greenpeace Andrew Davies, Media Team, 202-319-2432 |
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| Greenpeace Blockades Ship From Entering Long Beach | ||||
| LONG BEACH, CA -
October 20 - Environmental activists today blockaded a ship and forced it to anchor --
preventing it from unloading rolls of newsprint derived in part from a company threatening
the largest unprotected temperate rainforest on Earth. Activists from Greenpeace's flagship vessel, the Rainbow Warrior, unfurled a banner reading "Stop Destroying the Great Bear Rainforest" as they boarded the Thorseggen, said to be carrying over eight thousand tons of newsprint. Four climbers boarded the boat and chained themselves to the unloading cranes, to prevent off-loading. Additionally, four swimmers in survival suits with buoys reading "Save the Ancient Forests" placed themselves in front of the harbor channel entrance to prevent the ship from docking at Long Beach pier D-50. According to Greenpeace, Canadian-based Interfor, a company that owns 58 logging operations in the coastal temperate rainforest of British Columbia, directly supplies wood fibers to the mill in British Columbia that produces this newsprint. Interfor is one of the main companies threatening the Great Bear Rainforest -- the largest unprotected temperate rainforest in the world. Other companies threatening this unique ancient forest include Doman Industries Ltd. (Western Forest Products) and West Fraser. "The businesses of the U.S. must not purchase wood obtained from companies destroying the Great Bear Rainforest and must phase out all products that contribute to ancient forest destruction," said Greenpeace forest issues spokesperson Marc Evans. "Greenpeace has evidence that large quantities of wood chips from ancient coastal rainforests are being sent to the mills which provide this newsprint to California customers -- including The Los Angeles Times, GTE, AT&T and the Orange County Register." In contrast, the City of Los Angeles, California-based Kinkos, 3M, and large European companies such as B & Q, Europe's largest do-it-yourself chain, and the world's largest retailer house, Otto, in Germany have all recently decided not to buy lumber, pulp or paper from ancient forest. More than half of the wood logged in British Columbia is exported to the United States. Greenpeace has brought the Rainbow Warrior to the U.S. West Coast to highlight the destructive effect America's over-consumption of lumber and paper is having on the last 20% of the planet's large, intact ancient forests. "Ninety-five percent of the United States' ancient forest has already been destroyed, and if we continue affecting other nation's forests with this reckless consumption, tens of thousands of plant and animal species will disappear forever," said Evans. Greenpeace advocates the reduction of wood products consumption, increased rates of paper recycling, use of ecologically-sound non-wood fibers and the use of wood certified under the accreditation of the Forest Stewardship Council as alternatives to the use of fiber from ancient forests. Greenpeace is the leading independent organization that uses peaceful and creative activism to protect the global environment. ###
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