"If a tree falls in the forest… and no one is there to hear it… RAN makes noise!"
That phrase best surmises what RAN (The Rainforest Action Network) has been dedicated to for the past twenty-five years, something this short video attempts to demonstrate. Since its arrival on the public stage in 1985, RAN, headquartered in San Francisco, has managed to become one of the most successful and prominent environmental activist groups in the public forum, with connections that span the globe.
For the past twenty five years, RAN has been dedicated to campaigning for the "the forests, their inhabitants and the natural systems that sustain life." RAN has focused its efforts on non-violent public demonstrations as a means to advance their causes, and they have been remarkably successful in doing so.
In Terms of conservation, RAN has managed to save and continues to save, acres upon acres of ancient forests and ecosystems globally, including forests in Canada, Indonesia, Brazil, Chile to name a few.
The people of RAN have also been tireless advocates for the rights and welfare of indigenous people worldwide. They work with the "perspective that social, economic and environmental issues are interconnected and interdependent," and that
is a principle they have remained true to. In one of many accomplishments in this area, RAN has managed to help the Panara Tribe of Brazil get the government to recognize their land rights within the Brazilian rainforests.Perhaps what RAN is most famous for is their success in pushing "companies to balance profits with principles" and showing big corporations that its is "possible to do well by doing good," in terms of ethical and sustainable business practices.
RAN has helped change the way of dozens of corporations are run including Home Depot, Citigroup, Boise Cascade, and Goldman Sachs. In fact, Goldman Sachs is now working with RAN to "becomes the first global investment bank to adopt a comprehensive environmental policy, calling for urgent action by public policy makers and regulators to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
To learn more about RAN, visit their website at http://ran.org
