A WILD AND EXCITING RIDE

If my first day and a half of interning for the GRN is any indication of what the next month will entail, I'm in for a wild and exciting ride. I've been an intern at GRN for all of thirty hours and I've already staged my first protest, gathered petition signatures, and learned about the wonders of the ivory-billed woodpecker.

This morning was particularly exciting. At 7:30 AM, GRN's campaign organizer Dan Favre, three other interns, and I met in front of Tulane University's Student Center. We weren't meeting to pick up a cup of coffee or to browse textbooks at the bookstore. Rather, we were there to meet a group of business and organizational leaders arriving at Tulane to discuss issues regarding greater New Orleans' hurricane recovery. Their motor coach arrived and we provided each of them with literature regarding GRN's "Save Our Cypress" campaign. We were particularly interested in one executive slated to arrive, Home Depot CEO Frank Blake. Why Home Depot and Frank Blake? Home Depot is one of three companies (the other two are WalMart and Lowe's) that the Save Our Cypress campaign is targeting. These stores sell the majority of cypress mulch in the U.S.

The harvesting of beautiful and historic cypress trees is unfortunate. However, when considering that cypress forests along the Gulf of Mexico provide an excellent natural barrier for storm surge and floodwater as well as provide a home for many endangered species such as the black bear, Florida panther, and bald eagle, the impact that cypress mulch has on the environment is truly alarming. The three targets of the Save Our Cypress campaign certainly do not harvest the trees on their own. However, in choosing suppliers that employ environmentally deleterious and potentially devastating harvesting practices, they truly bear a great deal of responsibility. The GRN is working diligently to encourage Home Depot, WalMart, and Lowe's to take this responsibility on and cease the sale of cypress mulch in their stores.

Unfortunately, we did not find Frank Blake in the hurried crowd of executives. All of our work (and sleep deprivation, we are college students) was not in vein, however. A Home Depot representative was almost definitely in attendance. Additionally, we provided crucial information to a powerful body of individuals invested in the Gulf Coast region. This morning, we planted seeds.

Later this morning, we continued the "Save Our Cypress" campaign at a local farmers' market. Four of us informed local residents of the dangers posed by cypress deforesting and obtained almost 150 signed postcards that we will later deliver to Home Depot, Walmart, and Lowe's.

I never envisioned myself as someone who would become so heavily invested in cypress trees (or any trees in general, really). However, if one is to take a truly objective look at the harsh realities of cypress deforesting, it is clear that the negligent acts of corporate America are steadily destroying areas that are truly vital to our nation's wildlife and flood defenses. I hope that you will join with us today and find out more about the "Save Our Cypress" campaign.

Steve Miller is a rising Senior at Rollins College, and he is interning with the GRN this summer through Tulane University's Semester in NOLA Program.