From the Inbox: Good Times at Rainforest Action Network

Join us in San Francisco on October 14th for REVEL: The Art of Activism, RAN's 25th Anniversary bash! Get all the details at RAN.org/REVEL. We've spent this summer side by side with so many of you pushing and pushing mammoth corporations to do the right thing for forests, for people, for the climate. Sometimes, it feels like an uphill battle and you wonder whether these giants will ever move...until they do. As summer comes to a close, we've got really fantastic news for you. From Wall Street to the rainforest, our work together is having a real impact. Good times. Table of Contents Wall Street Backing Down From Mountaintop Removal General Mills On The Verge Indigenous Rights Now Vote Chevron Into The Corporate Hall of Shame RAN Recommends Wall Street Backing Down From Mountaintop Removal Two years ago no bank had a policy on coal mining. Wall Street was funding the most destructive form of coal mining, mountaintop removal (MTR), without blinking an eye. Thanks to you and many incredible RAN allies, after three years of unrelenting action Bank of America, Citi, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo have all passed public policies limiting their financial relationships with mountaintop removal coal mining companies. And all of them have completely cut their ties to Massey Energy, the largest MTR company in the country. General Mills On The Verge Thanks so much for all your letters, phone calls, and visits to General Mills demanding that they create a palm oil policy that protects Indonesia's rainforests. Last week, General Mills announced that they have started work on a new palm oil policy! Help us make sure they go for the strongest policy possible by writing CEO Ken Powell one last time (hopefully), to let him know you're counting on him to seize this opportunity to the fullest. Indigenous Rights Now The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) is the most comprehensive international statement on Indigenous rights to date. When the UN General Assembly adopted this Declaration in 2007, the U.S. government was one of only four countries that voted "no." President Obama must make an unwavering stand for Indigenous rights, and turn this vote around. Vote Chevron Into The Corporate Hall of Shame Each year, the most environmentally and socially irresponsible companies in the world are nominated for the Corporate Hall of Shame. In 2010, the upper echelon of corporate wrongdoing is well represented, and of course that means Chevron is up for this "prestigious" award for the toxic oil pollution it refuses to clean up in Ecuador's Amazon rainforest. Chevron deserves your vote! RAN RECOMMENDS The Climate War By Eric Pooley No Rain in the Amazon By Nikolas Kozloff

From the Inbox: Save the Mountain; Stop Pine Creek Mine

Tell the EPA to reject Pine Creek MTR mine permit Dear Friend, On April 1, Lisa Jackson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, announced strong new guidelines on mountaintop removal (MTR) mining permits. The first test of these tough guidelines for new permits is here. Coal-Mac, Inc. has applied for a new mountaintop removal mine permit for Pine Creek, West Virginia. Join us in telling the EPA that they must protect America's mountains and reject the Pine Creek mine permit. Pine Creek mine would contaminate 2.75 miles of streams, streams that already have dangerous levels of pollution from surface mining, which has made it nearly impossible for aquatic life to survive. Pine Creek mine is also expected to produce 14.3 million tons of coal, which would emit over 40 million tons of carbon dioxide greenhouse gases, further spurring climate change. We need your help to stop the further degradation of the Appalachian Mountains, the contamination of streams and drinking water and the exacerbation of the climate crisis. Please encourage the EPA to keep its word. Tell the EPA to uphold the Clean Water Act and protect Americans' health by rejecting the Pine Creek mine permit. Thank you for taking action to protect the mountains, streams and communities of Appalachia! For the mountains, Amanda Starbuck Global Finance Campaign

From the Inbox: Give it Up for Tropical Forests

Dear Friend,

Give it up for lush, green tropical forests!

One of the Earth’s greatest treasures, tropical forests provide homes for more than half of the species on the planet. They also play a critical role in fighting climate change.

Yet across the globe, these forests are being destroyed for commercial uses – from logging to rubber production to agriculture.

Currently, every four hours an area of tropical forest the size of Manhattan disappears.

Friend, what are YOU willing to give up for tropical forests? It only costs $15 to protect an acre with Conservation International.

Preventing the destruction of forests is an essential part of our work at CI, and is one of the most immediate and cost-effective ways to curb climate change. Tropical forests support local economies and people, house millions of species, and provide many unseen benefits such as clean water and medicines.

Protecting forests makes sense. And it only costs $15. What does giving up $15 mean to you?

• One large pizza or take out dinner
• Three iPhone apps
• A new toy for your pet
• Three fancy coffee drinks

By giving up something small, you can make a big difference in the fight against climate change. Make a gift now — and tell us what you are willing to give up for tropical forests. Your creative contribution will help inspire others to give it up for forests too!

I’m giving up our Sunday take-out dinner this week by making my $15 donation today.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Kat Powers
Senior Manager, Marketing Communications and Membership

From the Inbox: How can we stop mountaintop removal?

Tell your Senators to support the Appalachia Restoration Act! Photo by Matt Wasson Dear Friend, The good news on mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining is that in response to intense pressure from RAN and allies, the Obama Administration recently issued strict new guidelines on MTR, making it much harder for corporate coal execs to get permits for blowing apart mountains for cheaper coal. These guidelines are a bold step, but to take this further and abolish MTR, we need a U.S. law. Contact your Senators today and urge them to support legislation that can legally prevent most MTR mining. Two U.S. senators from coal producing states - Cardin (D-MD) and Alexander (R-TN) - have introduced the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696) to prevent the dumping of toxic waste from MTR mining into rivers and streams. This would prevent a significant amount of MTR mining. Senator Cardin introduced the legislation by saying, "My goal is to put a stop to one of the most destructive mining practices that has already destroyed some of America's most beautiful and ecologically significant regions. This legislation will put a stop to the smothering of our nation's streams and water systems and will restore the Clean Water Act to its original intent." Please contact your Senators today and ask them to co-sponsor the Appalachia Restoration Act! Senator Alexander stated, "It is not necessary to destroy our mountaintops in order to have enough coal. Millions of tourists spend tens of millions of dollars in Tennessee every year to enjoy the natural beauty of our mountains - a beauty that, for me, and I believe for most Tennesseans, makes us proud to live here." Senator Alexander has it right. Saving the environment and a thriving economy can go indeed go hand in hand. Putting our mountains and the health of our nation's communities on the line is not necessary and should no longer be an option. Tell your senators to co-sponsor this crucial bill. America's mountains and Appalachian communities depend on it. For the mountains, Amanda Starbuck Global Finance Campaign

From the Inbox - Got Plans for this Summer?

Reason #1 why you should become a RAN monthly sustainer: Your monthly contributions provides us with steady, reliable support so we can spend more time saving the planet and less time fundraising. Sound good? Then, go ahead, click that big red button

With well over half a million gallons of crude spewing into the Gulf of Mexico each day, America's attention is focused squarely on two things: energy and catastrophic corporate blunders.

The fossil fuel industry has proven time and again to be dangerous for workers, communities and the climate at large. Climate change is being further accelerated by agribusiness corporations, like Cargill and Sinar Mas, who are busy burning down the world's rainforests to create ever more monoculture plantations.

So we were wondering...Got plans for the summer? We have a few ideas for you.

Table of Contents

1. Keep Canada LUSH
2. Rewrite the Story on Rainforest Destruction
3. Eye on Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
4. Indonesia's Rainforests and the Cargill Effect
5. Global Leaders Ask Chevron to Change
6. RAN at the US Social Forum

Keep Canada LUSH

Did you know that this year Canada's tar sands, one of the most destructive oil extraction projects on the planet, became the biggest source of imported oil to the U.S.? Most people don't. That's why RAN is teaming up with the good folks at LUSH Cosmetics, and you, to get the word out through actions at 120 LUSH stores.

Do you want to help shut down an oil project that is turning Alberta's gorgeous Boreal forest into a lifeless moonscape and poisoning First Nations communities? Join us at your local LUSH store on June 9th to tell the truth about the tar sands.

Rewrite the Story on Rainforest Destruction

RAN's new report Turning the Page on Rainforest Destruction finds that nine of the top ten children's publishers sell books with wood fiber linked to Indonesian rainforest destruction. Our kids and the stories they love shouldn't be caught up in this mess any longer. Call on U.S. book publishers to protect Indonesia's rainforests and to respect the people and wildlife living within them- sign RAN's "I Love Books AND Rainforests" petition today!

Eye on Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

We've had some good news on the mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining front over the last two months. In response to intense pressure from RAN and allies, the Obama Administration issued strict new guidelines on MTR, which, we hope, will make it much harder for coal companies to get permits for the practice. JPMorgan Chase is no longer the #1 U.S. financier of MTR coal, and has stopped financing the dirtiest coal company of all, Massey Energy. In fact, RAN's recent report card on MTR and banks found that much of Wall Street is abandoning financing for the devastating practice.

The bad news--if the coal industry gets its way in Washington, MTR permits being reviewed right now by the EPA may still have a chance of being approved! We need your support in holding the administration accountable to its new MTR guidelines, ensuring that bold promises don't get watered down by big business. Let's make sure MTR really ends in 2010.

Indonesia's Rainforests and the Cargill Effect

RAN has been busy putting pressure on Cargill, the #1 destroyer of rainforests in Indonesia. In early May, we released a powerful report exposing Cargill's destructive palm oil supply chain and, simultaneously, RAN activists locked down inside Cargill's executive mansion to ensure that Cargill decion makers had to come face-to-face with the impact of their destructive decisions.

As the demand for sustainable palm oil escalates, all eyes are on Cargill and their customers such as General Mills and Kraft. Will these corporations make the right decision for Indonesia's rainforests? Will you help us make sure they do?

Global Leaders Ask Chevron to Change

This month, RAN's Change Chevron team traveled to Houston for Chevron's annual shareholder meeting to confront the oil giant about its environmental and human rights abuses around the world. We were joined by inspiring global community leaders from Ecuador, Nigeria, Burma, Colombia, Australia, Khazakstan, Canada and the U.S. who shared stories of Chevron's oil spills, environmental destruction and human rights abuses.

We learned that one thing that unites communities from Khazakstan to Ecuador is Chevron's toxic legacy, and we are more inspired than ever to stand with these communities as they forge a new legacy of triumph over corporate injustice. You can support these communities by sending a strong message to Chevron's Board of Directors that energy shouldn't cost lives.

RAN Workshops at the US Social Forum

Are you coming to the US Social Forum? This amazing event, June 22-26, 2010 in Detroit, fosters peoples' solutions to the economic and ecological crises of the day. RAN will be there presenting a series of workshops. Come hang with us!

• Tarsands PMA: June 23, 1:00-5:00pm
• Ending Mountaintop Removal: June 24, 10:00-noon
• Climate Change at the End of Your Fork: June 24, 1:00-5:00pm