Month: Aug 2019

“The man above is rescuing an exhausted jaguar trying to escape the fires in the Brazilian rain forest by going into the river. So much world-wide grief…Perhaps this event will become the rallying cry for humanity to join together on behalf of Gaia. Our love and healing energies to the rain forest, all beings and our beloved planet”. Debbie Polleli 🌎🌈🌧🍄💐💖

Thank you to my dear friend Marcia Beachy in Pueblo, CO for the image.

Amazonia Calling ~ a letter from Clare Dubois, TreeSisters Founder and CEO 🌳🍃🌳

The world is quite literally holding its breath as we watch the unfolding catastrophe in the Amazon. There are so many different perspectives and responses to this depending upon who you listen to.

If you listen to Brazilian President, Bolsonaro, he will tell you that this is normal at this time of year, that it is normal for farmers to be clearing land during the dry season. Indeed, in our insane worldview where grass and cattle (soya, palm oil, minerals etc) are ‘financially’ preferable over the millions of species that are wiped away when ‘cleared’ every year, it is indeed normal practice in just about every tropical forest in the world. But normal does not mean acceptable, sane, appropriate or ecologically viable. It is not.

Indigenous peoples of the Amazon have been stating loudly for years now that the forest is reaching a tipping point. There is only so much forest loss that can occur before the drying out of that ecosystem happens, leading to fires which easily become out. This is where we stand. The fires are raging harder and faster and threatening many more indigenous peoples and tribes who belong to these forests.

So what do we do? Well, this is complex and it is not a short term quick fix as it surfaces many more deeply rooted issues that are driving destruction, but there are actions to take.

At the very least, the G7 have offered £22m in funds to help extinguish the fires and we’re hearing reports of many more philanthropists and public figures getting involved. The good news here is that collaborative thinking is finally happening and the world is waking up to the fact that forest fires in the Amazon directly affect climate everywhere. Public awareness is turning squarely to the global forest. To me, we literally are entering ‘the time of the trees.’

💚 For TreeSisters 💚

Firstly, please know that our own Brazilian project is way further south in the Atlantic rainforest, and is not (currently) threatened by fires. If you would like to donate to our projects, you can do that by clicking here: https://femmiversity.treesisters.org/donate/

Know also that one of the reasons that we have been calling and asking for everybody to make restoration part of their daily lives is to strengthen all the forest ecosystems that we are planting so that they do not dehydrate, and thus are less likely to succumb to the fires that are becoming ever more present due to climate change.

💚 Meditations and Prayers 💚

In specific response to the fires, we are about to start a series of global meditations and prayers for the Amazon (treesisters throughout the network are already moving on this and offering their own energy and brilliance). These are going to be in collaboration with other women’s organisations and we will notify you of them as soon as we have clarified the details. World Amazon Day is 5 September so be sure that something is coming and check our social channels and online community in the Nest.

If you are not already part of our community called the Nest, please do join other treesisters from around the world by clicking this link: https://treesisters-nest.org

💚 Groups working directly with the Indigenous people of the Amazon 💚

In terms of organisations who are making a difference here are a few more that we are aware of through our network ~

Amazon Watch

Amazon Conservation Team

Rainforest Action Network

Rainforest Trust

The Rainforest Foundation UK / Rainforest Foundation US

💚 Building towards a future 💚

As always, both sides of the equation (reducing deforestation and increasing forest restoration) need to be addressed. A root issue is that our consumption patterns drive deforestation and our own carbon emissions are warming our planet and contributing to the drying out the forests. Therefore increased awareness of what we are purchasing and why, and ensuring that you are contributing to the reforestation of the global forest are both imperatives for all of us now. (https://femmiversity.treesisters.org/donate/)

As we move towards 2020 where we are seeding the Year of the Tree (which will actually happen in 2021) we will be partnering with those who are forwarding the agenda of reducing deforestation through aware consumption. We’re already exploring this and it’s important because women make over 85% of consumer choices and so when we wake up we literally can drive business.

We are going to start partnering with business (there are blogs coming soon to explain our position and strategy) to see what good we can do to steer businesses towards embedded restoration in every transaction (to reach and inspire their customers) while they look to evolve and clean up their impacts. It matters. It’s complex, but it’s needed so we are exploring, learning and starting to strike out in new directions.

This is a very full on time to be alive. It’s also a crucial time to be alive if you want to live a meaningful life that has an impact on the future of our own and all other species.

Inside TreeSisters we are growing on all fronts and addressing more elements of our complex world than ever before.

Inside TreeSisters we are growing on all fronts and addressing more elements of our complex world than ever before.

💚Calling all treesisters 💚

May all of us hold the Amazon in our prayers.

May all of us look more deeply at how we are living.

May all of us contribute to those organisations directly serving those on the front lines of this catastrophe.

May all of us fund tropical reforestation as a core element of our lives. You can do that here through TreeSisters ~ https://femmiversity.treesisters.org/donate/

May as many of us that are ready to rebel on behalf of life stand with the rebellion. Extinction Rebellion

May all of us look deeply into our own souls and ask what it is that we are uniquely able to bring to the world at this time. Your gifts are needed.

With all my heart to all of you – and most especially to the Amazon heart of our world and those who protect her.

With love and deep gratitude,
Clare

An incredible and creatively designed nature observatory called Camp Adventure is located about one hour south of Copenhagen, Denmark, in the preserved forest of Gisselfeld Klosters Skove.

A sturdy walking bridge, nearly 3000 feet long was built to wind through the forest until the path eventually ends at the foot of a 148 tall observation tower. The observation tower looks like a spiral ramp that stretches above the trees. The Treetop Experience includes two different paths, one that allows you stay on the ground, and another high route that winds through the canopy of the trees, allowing visitors to look down on the forest below.

The higher path passes through the oldest parts of the forest, while the tower and the lower paths are located in the younger areas. The high walkway also features a variety of activities that teaches visitors about the forest.

Just after Camp Adventure was completed in 2017, the architecture studio behind the project, EFFEKT, won the iconic award for ‘Visionary Architecture’. The studio says that the Camp Adventure tower and treetop walk is a “seamless continuous ramp that makes the forest accessible to all ~ regardless of their physical condition”.

“The geometry of the tower is shaped to enhance the visitor experience shunning the typical cylindrical shape in favour of a curved profile with a slender waist and enlarged base and crown.

This does not only increase the stability of the tower but also increase the observation deck area at the top of the tower. Furthermore it can allow better contact to the forest canopy”.

Reference: Instagram @Extraordinary_Youniverse All Photos courtesy of EFFEKT. Architect Truth Theory.