Mighty Earth Protesters to Gather in Downtown Greenville
Mighty Earth calls on Michelin to lead the way to sustainable natural rubber
GREENVILLE, S.C. – On Wednesday 12/19, Mighty Earth’s ‘Driving Deforestation’ campaign will host a rally at the Joel Roberts Poinsett Statue to urge the tire company to be a leader in sustainability.
Michelin has already rolled out a sustainability policy that has strong criteria regarding procurement for its rubber and consequences for non-compliant suppliers. However, in upcoming deliberations around the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) – a platform that, as currently set up, would fail to prevent deforestation for natural rubber – Michelin can support measures that will help create a successful industry-wide standard.
Action is vital: the tire industry accounts for more than 70 percent of global rubber consumption. The industry is, as a result, a major driver of deforestation, which is responsible for approximately 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation for rubber is also destroying the habitats of numerous endangered species – including tigers, gibbons, and elephants – and taking the land of indigenous communities who have lived there for generations.
What: ‘Driving Deforestation’ Rally to pressure Michelin to be a leader for sustainable natural rubber and end deforestation in the rubber industry.
Who: Community volunteers representing Mighty Earth’s ‘Driving Deforestation’ Campaign, and other community leaders
Speakers: Manusha Jayasinghe, Field Organizer, Mighty Earth
Doris Lee Turner, President, Democratic Women of Greenville
Frank Powell, Sustainability Faculty Liaison and Professor Emeritus, Furman University
When: 3pm, Wednesday, 12/19
Where: Joel Roberts Poinsett Statue
182-198 Main St, Greenville, SC 29601
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