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Meeting of the Board of Directors
Title: Meeting of the Board of Directors
Location: CalEPA Headquarters Building, Training Room 5
Description: Meeting of the Board of Directors
To join the webinar (please do this BEFORE calling in, if possible):
1. Go to https://climateactionreserve.webex.com/climateactionreserve/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=932960379
2. Enter your name and email address.
3. Enter the meeting password: Board12
4. Click “Join Now”.
To join the audio (please do this AFTER joining the webinar):
Toll free call-in numbers (US/Canada): 866-699-3239; (Mexico): 001-866-885-0337
Enter your participant number (this is generated when you join the webinar)
Date: December 2, 2009
Start Time: 1:00 PM
End Time: 4:00 PM
An inspirational end to a memorable trip
November 18, 2009
Gary Gero
"Pasture near Rio Branco" - Secretary Chrisman (far left) and Secretary Adams (far right) on a farm located on a recovered pasture near Rio Branco
"cattle" - cattle on the ranch
"Mahogany tree" - our translator (in blue) and others on the cattle ranch with a young Mahogany tree in the background
As most people know, large parts of the Amazon rainforest are being cleared (cut down or burned) every day. This process is known as “deforestation” and is estimated to be responsible for between 15%-20% of global CO2 emissions. Today we visited two sites that had been previously deforested to create pastures for cattle ranching, which is one of the major causes of this deforestation (along with logging and road building).
First, we stopped to visit a family farmer who is growing fruits and vegetables and raising fish and chickens on a former ranch whose pasture was no longer viable (which, we were told, is something that typically occurs after about 10 years of intensive cattle grazing). This farmer and his family were once part of the urban poor that the state government recruited to this program in an effort to create jobs, alleviate unhealthy conditions in the cities, repopulate the surrounding rural areas, bring local produce to market, and restore forest lands. The farmer not only has a profitable farm on this land, but is also planting native trees on the non-farm areas to help reforest the area with the support of the Acre state government.
Our next stop was a cattle ranch on which an innovative rancher is working to increase the number of cattle that can be raised per acre of pasture and to extend the life of such pastures without using chemicals or other destructive techniques. Both of these improvements will reduce pressure for deforestation to create new and larger pastures. He has additionally planted more than 3000 Mahogany and other native trees on parts of his land as part of his commitment to sustainability. Secretary Chrisman, who is a rancher in the Visalia area, was extremely impressed with the health of the animals, the lack of flies and other pests, and the overall operation.
Finally, we returned to Rio Branco to quickly shower and change clothes for a closing meeting with Governor Binho Marques and his senior staff to discuss what we had seen and to identify further actions to strengthen a partnership between California and Acre. We identified several important next steps that we would take to consider how Acre’s efforts to avoid deforestation and restore forests might be supported.
Then, we returned to the hotel to pack and rest before boarding our 2:20 a.m. flight that was the first leg of our journey back home to California.
We are deeply indebted to the Government of the State of Acre, especially Governor Binho Marques, and to the Environmental Defense Fund for sponsoring and hosting this eye-opening and memorable tour. It is truly inspiring to see the deep commitment of people working to solve the difficult issues of our time in a holistic way. Acre is clearly working toward a sustainable model by promoting social justice in recognizing and defending the rights of indigenous peoples, prioritizing and creating educational opportunities for all, generating real economic opportunity and growth, and fighting global warming.
We could all learn from the work in this corner of the Amazon.
Composting Project Protocol Kickoff Meeting
Location: Portland, OR
Hotel Modera, Room “One”
515 SW Clay St
Portland, OR 97201
Date: December 9, 2009
Start Time: 10:00 AM PST
End Time: 1:00 PM PST
Description:
The Reserve is hosting a public meeting to kickoff the protocol development process for the Composting Project Protocol. The kickoff meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 9, 2009 in Portland, OR.
If you plan on attending or calling in, please RSVP via the link above. An agenda and conference call information will be provided to participants prior to the meeting.
If you have questions about the workshop, please contact Heather Raven at 213-542-0282 or heather@climateactionreserve.org.
Composting Project Protocol Kickoff Meeting in Portland, OR, on December 9
Rubber tapping in Xapuri
November 17, 2009
Gary Gero
Rubber tapping
Yesterday we saw how indingenous peoples are using intact forest lands, and today we learned about the use of managed forests (and – here’s a preview – tomorrow we consider restoration of deforested areas). We travelled to the town of Xapuri in the southern part of Acre near the Bolivian border to see an “extractive reserve” on which rubber tapping and FSC certified forest management is exercised. This, too, is a way of having the existing forest resources provide economic benefits to reduce the pressure for deforestation. Here the government of Acre is creating economic development opportunities in the city by supporting operations that make use of the natural resources. Seventy families practice rubber tapping in the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve to obtain natural latex from rubber trees.
Observing the traditional and largely unchanged extraction process in the forest was fascinating. After the latex is extracted, it is then processed at a condom factory, which employs 150 people, in the nearby city of Xapuri. Our visit to this facility to see the production process demonstrated the full cycle of this strategy as the entire output of more than one million condoms are purchased by the Brazilian government for free distribution as part of the health initiative. Similarly, sustainably harvested woods are processed at a mill here into finished FSC certified, high-end flooring boards that are sold around the world. The mill, which we also visited, uses the sawdust and other detrius from this process to run a power plant that generates more than sufficient energy for the plant operations.
We finally settled in for the evening at a lodge built by the rubber tappers association. The lodge has a wood burning stove that also generates electricity for the facility. We had much discussion with Acre state government officials on the possibility of a state-to-state initiative to use carbon markets to support state-wide avoided deforestation.
Ashanika: a study in sustainable practices
November 16, 2009
Gary Gero
Motorized canoes used to transport us on the river
The enormity of the Amazon becomes readily apparent after flying for hours over thick forests only to see on the map that we have covered but a sliver. Today we travelled by small turboprop airplane west from Rio Branco through rain clouds to an area near the Peruvian border and the foothills of the Andes mountains. From the town of Marechal Thaumaturgo, we continued several hours up river in small boats to visit with the Ashanika, a tribe of indigenous people who are developing a small scale economic model using sustainable agricultural and forest practices. By demonstrating that the forest can provide livelihoods without relying on destructive logging or land
Aerial view of deforested patch
clearing practices, the Ashanika are providing a real world
example for other forest people in the Amazon. Indeed, we spent the night at a training facility in Marechal Thaumaturgo that they created using the proceeds from their activities in partnership with several NGOs. This spare but functional facility is used to teach others about their sustainable business model.
Studying rainforests in the Brazilian Amazon
November 15, 2009
Gary Gero
I’m very excited to be writing today from the town of Rio Branco in the state of Acre (pronounced “ah-cray”) in the Brazilian Amazon where Linda Adams, Secretary of California EPA; Mike Chrisman, Secretary of California’s Natural Resources Agency; and I are studying the pressures on the rainforest and learning about efforts to prevent deforestation. This study trip is a follow up to the Governors Global Climate Summit and the MOU that was signed by 30 state and provincial leaders from around the world.
We got started early this morning during our four hour layover in the city of Manaus with a visit to Dr. Phillip Fearnside, a leading researcher on climate change in the Amazon. The day was capped with a long visit with Governor Binho Marques and his environmental and forestry directors to understand the tremendous efforts that Acre has undertaken to reduce deforestation while simultaneously addressing the important economic and social issues facing this state in the northwest portion of Brazil. Governor Marques provided our small group with a personal tour of a museum dedicated to the local area that includes a great tribute to the environmental activist Chico Mendes who started and led a peaceful movement to protect the forest until his murder in 1988. His efforts continue to resonate today in Acre, where there is a clear sustainability consciousness.
We are very fortunate to have Dr. Steve Schwartzman from Environmental Defense Fund guiding and helping us here. He has a long history working in the Amazon and has been keenly focused on avoided deforestation issues. I will do my best (cell/internet service allowing) to send short posts along this week on our studies to share will all of you what we are learning here.
Ozone Depleting Substances Project Protocol Public Workshop
Location: Washington, DC
The World Bank
J Building, Room J B1-080
1818 H Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20433
Date: December 7, 2009
Start Time: 12:00 PM EST
End Time: 4:00 PM EST
Description:
The Reserve is hosting a public workshop to provide a venue for public feedback on the draft Ozone Depleting Substances Project Protocol. The public workshop is scheduled for Monday, December 7, 2009 in Washington, DC.
If you plan on attending or calling in, please RSVP below by December 3, 2009. An agenda and conference call information will be provided to participants prior to the meeting.
If you have questions about the workshop, please contact Heather Raven at 213-542-0282 or heather@climateactionreserve.org.