Over one hundred authors including many well known writers such
as Isabel Allende, Andre DeCarlo and Rex Weyler have pledged their
support for Greenpeace's
Book Campaign.
Read what some our authors have to say about Ancient Forests and
Ancient Forest Friendly Books:
Isabel Allende
Each time I finish a novel I experience the joy of seeing it in
print mixed with the anguish of knowing that trees have died to
bring the book to life. Since childhood I have had a vital
connection with trees. I believe that these mute giants have a
soul, they preserve the balance of nature and the memory of the
planet. The publishing industry consumes paper avidly, paper which
is produced using pulp manufactured with virgin wood as opposed to
recycled fibre. Part of the wood used to print books comes from
regions where the Primary Forests are being destroyed. This
represents an irreparable loss for the world. The disappearance of
these forests will endanger biodiversity, which is indispensable
for guaranteeing the strength of all living species and the
cultural riches of the indigenous peoples who inhabit these
regions.
I
join with other writers in urging the publishing industry not to
act as an accomplice in the destruction of the Primary Forests and
to employ environmental and social criteria when purchasing paper.
This is not an irrational request, on the contrary, a paper supply
policy that respects the environment is of benefit to us all. Some
publishers have understood this and I believe we will soon see more
and more books of excellent quality printed on authorised or
recycled paper, as is the case with my novel for young readers
"Forest of the Pygmies". I therefore lend my enthusiastic support
to the Greenpeace's Book Project and hereby express the hope that
my future work is published using the same ecological criteria.
- Isabel
Allende
| Margaret Atwood
|
|
"We
would never buy paper made from dead bears, otter, salmon and
birds, from ruined native cultures, from destroyed species and
destroyed lives, from ancient forests reduced to stumps and mud;
but that's what we're buying when we buy paper made from old-growth
clear-cut trees". - Margaret Atwood |
Raincoast
Books in Canada, and Rodale Press in the US and UK made the
commitment to publish GREENPEACE worldwide on 100%, post-consumer,
chlorine-free, ancient forest friendly, recycled paper. This
decision cost them money in the short term, but has already gained
them recognition as companies willing to do right for the entire
planet. This commitment is important because ancient forests help
regulate global temperatures, clean the atmosphere, recycle water,
and provide habitat for millions of species. By turning waste into
useful products, we are learning to operate our economy the way
nature operates. These may be the first steps of a truly
ecological, sustainable human civilization.
- Rex
Weyler
Andrea DeCarlo
My battle for nature
Try
to visualize an ancient forest. Not one of our small sparse woods
where the trees are felled and made to grow again who knows how
many times. Imagine a real, natural forest, with all its infinite
variety of visible and invisible life: plants, flowers, fruits,
mammals, birds, insects, micro-organisms. Try to imagine the
colours, the sounds, the smells, the water dripping from leaf to
leaf which is absorbed and held by the roots under the thin layer
of humus.
The temple of life
One of the reactions that people can have towards what's
happening is to think that nothing can be done about it. It's not
true. Every single person can help to change things in his or her
own field. I, for example, am a writer. Yet until recently I had
never asked myself where the paper my books are printed on comes
from, and at what price. I didn't know that 71% of the supplies of
virgin fibres used to produce paper for the publishing industry
comes from forest destruction.
From words to facts
I was unaware that the Italian publishing industry imports
25,500 tons a year. I didn't know that more than half of the virgin
fibres supplied by certain countries, like Russia and Indonesia,
comes from illegal tree felling. When Greenpeace asked authors the
world over to take action on behalf of the forests, my immediate
thought was that endorsing the campaign was a noble thing to do,
but that it wasn't enough, that really concrete action was needed.
I decided that from then on my books would be published without
causing a single tree to be destroyed. I found a publisher,
Bompiani, who accepted the challenge and looked for a solution
together with me. Giro di vento is my first novel printed on
entirely recycled paper. Even the printers are enthusiastic about
it and are increasingly convinced that this is the start of a new
way of doing things.
Personally I will do everything I can to convince those among my
fellow authors. Because in the time you have spent reading this who
knows how many more hectares of virgin forest have been destroyed.
Try to calculate it, and then try to visualize life without our
forests, forever.
- Andrea De
Carlo