Pristine native forests are threatened by the large-scale release of genetically engineered trees (GE trees).

 

 

 

Just as Monsanto’s GMO crops have polluted much of our food, industry now wants to commercialize genetically engineered trees. 

 

 

 

 

GE trees are being manipulated with foreign DNA from unrelated species like bacteria to make them do unnatural things like produce a pesticide that kills insects.  If released commercially into the environment, they will contaminate forests and disrupt forest ecosystems, leaving threatened and endangered species at risk.

 

 

 

In fact, right now the US government is considering legalizing the sale of hundreds of millions of genetically engineered eucalyptus tree clones every year for planting across the US South. 

 

Like kudzu, eucalyptus are non-native and highly invasive.  They’re explosively flammable and dry up ground water.   If legalized, GE eucalyptus trees could threaten communities with massive deadly firestorms and depletion of precious fresh water. They could also displace wildlife that can’t use these non-native tree plantations for habitat. 

 

 

 

And if legalized in the US, the disaster of GE trees could be exported around the world.

 

The Ask

 

So far we’ve prevented the commercialization of GE trees.  We’ve campaigned at every level, from the United Nations, to the courts, and directly to the US government. 

 

And we’ve built a powerful global alliance that is working to protect forests and communities by banning GE trees.

But we need your help to stop genetically engineered trees permanently.

You can help us permanently protect forests, wildlife and communities from the menace of GE trees by donating today.  

This is one disaster we can still stop--with your support.

 

 

Here are some of the things your donation will support:

Organizing in Threatened Communities

We are reaching out to and organizing in communities located in the regions threatened by future genetically engineered eucalyptus plantations--in particular across the US Southeast. Your support will help us organize a fall-winter roadshow, which will travel to communities throughout the US South to build local grassroots opposition groups. 

 

You will also help us implement a media outreach campaign that will get critical coverage of GE trees in newspapers across the south.  Already key media in the region have referred to GE eucalyptus as “the kudzu of the 2010s”, and “living firecrackers.”

 

 

Building Global Coalitions and Mobilizing Public Comments to Ban GE Trees

 

 

We have built a global coalition united in its goal to ban the release of GE trees into the environment that includes hundreds of organizations around the world.  

 

In the US, when the USDA announced they were taking comments on industry's request to legalize GE trees, the US-based coalition of groups mobilized the public to submit comments--which came in to the USDA at 10,000 to 1 against the GE tree plantations.

 

Direct Action at GE Trees Industry Events:

 

 

 

Since 2001 we have organized protests against the genetically engineered trees industry.  This spring we worked with local groups to organize the largest ever protest against GE trees at an international industry conference in North Carolina.

 

Corporate Pressure

 

 

And in 2010 we were part of a lawsuit against the US government over GE trees.  The lawsuit, which included the Center for Food Safety and the Center for Biological Diversity and others made it difficult for the GE trees industry to find investors. 

 

One company cancelled plans to publicly sell their stock on the NASDAQ. A few months later, they replaced key members of their executive staff --with new staff that came from Monsanto.

 

Industry regularly cites us as a major obstacle to their plans to commercialize GE trees.

 

Join Us!

 

You can help us take on some of the world’s largest corporations with campaigns that win. Your donation will give us the tools that we need to build and strengthen our work to protect forests, communities, wildlife and the climate from the catastrophic impact of genetically engineered trees.

 

Momentum is building.  Join us. With your help we can stop the threat of GE trees forever.

We need to raise both funds and awareness through this crowdfunding campaign.

Donations of any size truly help, and we are also asking you to share this campaign with your friends, family and co-workers will help get this crucial issue the audience it deserves.  Ask them to join you in supporting this crucial campaign.

Thank You!!

 

Photo Rewards:

If you have selected a donor level that includes a custom-printed original photograph signed by the photographer as a thank you, please select the photograph of your choice from the photos pictured below:

 

Native Forest 1

 

Native Forest 2

 

 

Native Forest 3

 

 

Native Forest 4

 

Native Forest 5

 

Thanks to Langelle Photography for the use of photographs and Wide Iris for compiling the video in this campaign.