It seems that both companies and people are starting to recognize that when the rainforest is cleared for agicultural and business purposes, devastating and irreversible damage occurs.
One such example of a company is Guayaki Yerba Mate. They sell organic, sustainably harvested, fairly traded tea and coffee. Partnering with small farmers and indigenous communities to source mate from the sub-tropical forests of South America, the sales of Guayaki’s product makes environmental conservation and restoration financially viable. Farmers get a monetary incentive to conserve the rainforest that’s there and to restore what’s been lost.
The innovative organization even has a negative carbon imprint: ”the forest growth swallows up more carbon than is produced by the processing, packaging, shipping, and other carbon-emitting aspects of the business, thereby making the entire biz carbon negative.”
”Each person that drinks two servings per day of Guayakí Yerba Mate helps protect approximately one acre of rainforest every year.”
Sara- Super interesting material you have here! I knew absolutely nothing about this topic until reading your blog and I enjoy the short tidbits of information. Now, Guayakí Yerba Mate seems pretty exotic. Is this something that us Canadians can do to help the rainforests? Can we purchase products like these here? If not, what are some practical and affordable things we can do in our everyday lives to help this cause?