Written by Mari Sasano, Photos by Gravy.
Aside from killing baby whales and dumping radioactive toxins, probably one of the worst things one can imagine doing to the environment is cutting down trees. It conjures up images of clear cut forests and homeless creatures, tearfully wondering where they will raise their families.
But it doesn’t have to be so. In 1993, a group of environmentalists, forestry business representatives and human rights groups got together in the wake of the UN Rio Summit on Sustainable Development to form the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization committed to responsible forest management.
Balancing the competing needs of each group (preserving wild habitat, ensuring protection for people who rely on forests for their livelihood, and commercial interests) was a daunting proposition. But these seemingly disparate groups all had one interest above all.
“At that first meeting, the individuals involved felt society as a whole needed to protect our forests,” says Antony Marcil, president of FSC Canada. His job has been to balance the range of opinions that have been invited to the table, and sees FSC as part of a greater, multilateral solution to the problem of environmental degradation.
Featured Article, DISPLAY magazine.
Spring 2009 // Vol. 1 Issue 2 // Responsibility in Design.
Tags: Environmentalism, FSC
