Campaign for sustainable wood in NJ on NPR

We just heard from Rainforest Relief Executive Director Tim Keating that an episode of NPT’s Marketplace aired a segment last night about Rainforest Relief’s 2-year campaign in Wildwood, New Jersey, to use sustainably-logged, domestic black locust lumber instead of ipê logged (mostly illegally) from the Amazon rainforests of Brazil and Peru, for a 4-block renovation of the seaside town’s boardwalk. According to Tim:

We finally convinced Wildwood to go with black locust, only to be stymied by delivery of wood that didn’t meeting the town’s specifications. Ultimately, with the flick of a pen, the 3-person commission voted to allow a change order and use ipê for this renovation – a project that comprised 42,000 board feet of decking. We are sad and frustrated that things turned out this way – but we persevere, in Wildwood and across the country.

• Listen to the NPR segment online — the story begins about 13 minutes into the March 4 show.
• More by Tim Keating on GreenHomeNYC.org