Cool Earth

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Cool Earth is dedicated to reducing rainforest destruction through community-based partnerships.  Every partnership starts with the indigenous or resident population of an area contacting Cool Earth for their assistance.  They do not do outreach so that the communities that they work with are fully invested in their process to meet their needs.  The communities are poor and face the prospects of either saving their forests or selling them to loggers or miners to bring in financial resources. According to Cool Earth, “…As these villages link up, they form a shield to make the adjacent forest inaccessible to destruction. Each partner village is helping form a shield for five million acres of pristine rainforest.” Cool Earth commits seven years to each community to achieve success.

Through knowledge sharing, villages are also learning how to replenish rainforest soils that are poor quality. They use the Inga Tree as a cover for other crops.  The Inga tree gives the village better soil and also a supply wood for burning other than from the rainforest.  Food crops are able to cultivate in the continually improving soil.  Creating food and income pathways is a regular and major part of their commitment to their partner communities.

Image of Children Walking on the Beach courtesy of Alicia Fox Photography.