Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Bank Dumps Uruguay Pulp Mill

Dutch banking giant ING announced in a letter to Friends of the Earth International, CEDHA and BankTrack that it is pulling out of a divisive venture opposed by environmentalists and local communities in Uruguay and Argentina.

The ING Group wrote in an April 12 letter that its participation in the
1.7 billion USD controversial paper mill project of Finnish company Botnia in Uruguay "is no longer under consideration".


Site of the pulp mill at Fray Bentos.
Photo credit: Giovanny Garrido/Argentinaphoto

Friday, April 14, 2006

Introducing "The Paper Planet"


Thanks for reading the inaugural post of "The Paper Planet", a new project of the Environmental Paper Network (EPN). On this site, leading environmental advocates from around the world will share tidbits, tools, tech, and tales of triumph and tragedy as society tackles one of its most challenging, and important, production and consumption issues. The pulp and paper industry is a leading contributor to global warming, a major driver of deforestation, and a top polluter of our water. Nevertheless, paper plays an important role in our society, and has and will continue to spread knowledge and culture across the planet. We touch it 100 times a day. Its everywhere, and even in our technological age we use it more and more. But even now, alternatives are available and change is possible. Right now, there are good businesses to support, creating paper with all the quality and variety that we all love to hold, but produced in a more environmentally sustainable manner. We hope you will join us on this journey as we enter an age of sustainability solutions and transform the pulp and paper industry in order to protect life on this earth as we know it.