Through its newly-launched Size of the Phoenix Park Project (SOPP), Just Forests aims to turn the negative implications of Ireland’s dependence on imported timber on its head by encouraging people to take positive action and help increase Ireland’s forest cover and protect an area of rainforest equivalent to the size of our beloved Phoenix Park in Dublin – the largest city-centre park in Europe.
Does your work in the development aid sector take you to far away places like Africa, South America and south-east Asia? Are you a teacher or community worker commuting regularly to and from work? Are you a musician – solo or part of a band/group, travelling a lot because of the nature of your work? Is your passion for sport taking you far and near? If so, you have probably often wondered about your carbon footprint! Just Forests has been thinking about it too…
Now Irish overseas development aid workers, NGOs, teachers, musicians, community workers, politicians, in fact EVERYONE can put something back through SOPP…
You CAN make a difference!
When Ireland’s tropical timber imports are aggregated over the last 50 years, they represent a sizable area of forest destruction. To produce the country’s (1996) imports on a sustainable basis would require an area of natural forest some 200 times the size of Phoenix Park. In 2000 Ireland’s trade in tropical hardwoods increased by 140% in value over the 1999 figure. Levels of consumption have made Ireland one of the highest per capita consumers of tropical hardwoods in the EU.
For every €10 donated, the tropical forest charity, Size of Wales, will double it to €20. “We love it that people in Ireland want to join us to help protect tropical forests and are very happy to help Just Carbon get going. It will take more than Wales and Ireland to protect the world’s forests but between us we can set a good example to the rest of the world.” ~ Hanna Scrase, director of Size of Wales.
For further info see http://www.justcarbon.net/just_carbon/Donate.html