Greenwood global

Greenwood Global is an organization that trains artisans to work with wood.

"GreenWood trains artisans to make high-quality wood products, adding value to forest resources and creating incentives to protect biodiversity."

Some of my readers may know that my work with wood has been motivated by a desire to share the beauty and diversity of our American hardwoods. I have avoided imported woods in large part because of the importance of this mission. Working with indigenous species of woods, whether you are in the Amazon rainforest or in the hills of Arkansas, can be a means through which to heighten environmental awareness and understanding.

People and the environment are not two separate entities, but one interdependent whole. GreenWood believes that the best way to protect a forest is to enlist the participation and support of the people who live there—the folks who stand to gain the most by its sustainable management or to lose the most by its destruction. The good news is that the people who make their homes in isolated forest communities often comprise their strongest line of defense—but only if they can connect their own personal livelihood to the survival of those forests. That's where GreenWood focuses its attention.

It is a noble mission and worthy of our support. Use the woods that grow in your own community and you become an agent in sharing an understanding of their beauty and value. Or as I say on my website:

Woodworkers have a unique opportunity to reveal the beauty and value of our native woods in a way that encourages understanding and preservation of our trees and forests.

This is true whether you are in the hills of Arkansas, the boroughs of New York or in the remote jungles of Peru. And where ever you are, there are ways to help.