Today the World Wildlife Fund reports that after losing nearly 70 per cent of its forest habitat and half its population in one generation, the Sumatran elephant is heading for imminent extinction due to deforestation and habitat loss.
These elephants are not alone. According to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, 3-5 species become extinct every hour of every day. That's up to 45,000 species every year!
What we're doing at Vermont Woods Studios Fine Furniture is trying to raise awareness about the how your choices as a consumer directly affect the extinction of endangered species like the Sumatran elephant. If you can avoid buying imported forest products, especially wood furniture and flooring (if it's not clearly labelled Made in America--pretty much any furniture you'll find at Home Depot, Walmart, Bob's, Lowe's or other big box stores is imported) you'll be doing your part to lessen global deforestation and destruction of the habitat these elephants live in.
What else are we doing?
We support a number of projects to save endangered species. Here's one I was pretty excited about last week: when I was on the Vernon Selectboard a few years back, our town partnered with the Vermont Division of Fish and Wildlife DFW to protect habitat and save the critically endangered spotted turtle from extinction. Last week we were able to celebrate our work. It's 6 or 7 years later, but finally through a long process, the turtle habitat is being cared for and hopefully we'll start to see their population come back.
How about you? Tell us what you're doing in the comments below or on our Vermont Furniture Facebook.
