Trees and Education Protect Rainforest in Brazil

Dear donors.

First of all I want to announce that the SALVEASERRA project: “Trees and Education Protect the Atlantic Rainforest”, was the Environment category winner of the 2011 Wave of Change campaign run by the Neutrogena cosmetics company. This was really great and rare opportunity for us and with this big donation we can make plans for the next 4 years, expand our operations to 2 or 3 neighboring counties, receive more groups monthly, hire guides and teachers to help us and provide visitor with information leaflets and DVDs on the Atlantic Rainforest and agroforestry techniques.

With this new donation we can also make plans to increase the reforestation of our areas and the development of the agroforestry demonstration plots. We are planning to plant 5000 trees per year.

Here the Neutrogena campaign site: http://www.neutrogena.com/category/wave%2Bfor%2Bchange.do

We would also like to inform you that from GlobalGiving Gift Card Challenge we are going to receive a bonus grant donation to plant 800 trees in the rainforest of Concordia Mountains Wildlife Sanctuary.

http://www.globalgiving.org/gifts/?rf=fb. This is the perfect right time because the planting season starts now.

We continue with our activities as you will see in attached pictures and links. 

There are pictures of students visiting the Wildlife Sanctuary, of lectures and presentations to prepare new students to participate of the “Day in the Forest” ecological trail, of the acquisition and delivery of seedlings and of a research team from the Ministry of Agriculture inspecting forest experiments plots they have there with us since 2000.

Link 1: Slideshow of a student’s visit to Concordia Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary. You will also see some pictures of a group of bat researchers that come regularly to our area where they have found more than 30 different species of bats.

Link 2: In this TV video show you will see our deforested mountainous Atlantic Rainforest region during the dry and incendiary period, the Wildlife Sanctuary and a bit of my work. In Portuguese.

Link 3: Newspaper article with interview on agroforestry and organic agriculture. In Portuguese.

As you see, with your help, things are going well and we have great plans for the next years.

Please accept my sincere thanks.

Roberto Lamego

Links:

• "A Day in the Forest' ecotrail. Valenca city school visiting Ser
• TV Show. See our deforested region and my work. In Portuguese.
• Newspaper article on agroforestry and organic agriculture.

Dear donor.

I need your help to vote for and recommend the SALVEASERRA project, which as you probably recall is an NGO in Valença, Rio de Janeiro, an Environmental Protection Group working to save the Serra da Concórdia, one of the very few areas of mountainous Atlantic Rainforest remaining in Brazil. We are finalists in the Wave of Change campaign run by the Neutrogena cosmetics company.

Every year our main sponsor, the GlobalGiving Foundation  conducts a partnership with Neutrogena (www.neutrogena.com) for a fundraising campaign called Wave for Change. This raises money for worthwhile projects.

The nine Wave of Change finalists were chosen from the catalog of projects supported by GlobalGiving, in three categories: Education, Environment and Disaster Recovery: Rebuilding Lives.

This year, I am delighted and proud to say, the SALVEASERRA project Trees and Education Protect the Atlantic Rainforest has been selected from among 188 projects to be one of the three finalists in the Environment category. This is a rare opportunity for us.

Now the important thing: only ONE project will be selected in each category to share the money being raised. Winners are being chosen by voting on the Internet. The other six finalists will receive some coverage on MTV and in other media channels and other promotions, but no financial support.

For us this is an uphill struggle. My main competitor is a very good and attractive U.S. project with a strong appeal for nature lovers. It also has a patriotic advantage because of course Neutrogena is an American company.

To win this competition we will need a massive mobilization of all our friends, and friends of friends in Brazil and around the world. We need to use Facebook, Twitter, e-mails and whatever personal networks may be available.

That’s why I am seeking your help to vote and ask your friends to do the same. As you know, saving what remains of the Atlantic Rainforest is very important, and SALVEASERRA exists mainly because of your donations and without any regular government support.

To vote in the campaign you do not have to buy any product; you just go to the Neutrogena page and vote: http://www.neutrogena.com/category/wave+for+change.do

Make sure you click on Protect the Rainforest in Brazil!

Voting closes August 31, 2011, and you can follow the progress of the vote by returning to the same page.

Please accept my sincere thanks.

Roberto Lamego

Please see in these links a visit that Melissa Balgley and Joshua Niederman from GlobalGiving recently made to our GlobalGiving projects, Trees and Education Protect Rainforest in Brazil and Provide Vegetable Gardens for Families in Brazil.

https://picasaweb.google.com/110709315454919422487/ADayInTheForestEcologicalTrekkingForJoaoEstevesMunicipalSchoolPentagnaValencaRio?authkey=Gv1sRgCOfZuuKy39KQ5QE

https://picasaweb.google.com/110709315454919422487/MelissaAndJoshVisitToSALVEASERRAInValencaRioDeJaneiroBrazil?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-jl-3ih-LxrAE

My name is Joshua Niederman.  I am an In the Field intern visiting GlobalGiving partner organizations in Brazil.  Read here about my recent visit to "Trees and Education Protect Rainforest in Brazil"!

This project brings public schoolchildren to a beautiful private nature reserve outside of Valença, Rio de Janeiro state to appreciate the beauty of the environment and recognize the need to protect what is left of the Atlantic Rainforest.  During my visit, I traveled with over 50 children from a rural school to visit the preserve.  The children were full of joy to see trees that they had never seen before and to try delicious fruits like Caja-manga, a delicious fruit that is sweet and acidic, has a brilliant yellow pulp and is rich in nutrients.  

Roberto, the director of the program, has many years of experience in environmental conservation and provided the children with great explanations about the various plants and trees in a way that they could easily understand.  After visiting the preserve, I traveled to another community outside of Valença.  There is very little for children in this rural community to do during the winter season when all of the schools are closed (July). I saw youth standing around or sitting in the streets.  Some of the children there had visited the nature preserve in the past and seemed very moved by there experience.  Many of the children I saw asked Roberto about when they could go back (see photos below). 

Salveaserra is forming a partnership with members of this community and others to engage the children and adults to make and maintain community gardens as well as gardens for individual families. With this new addition to the project, communities surrounding Valenca can contribute to protecting the environment and producing fresh, healthy food. This will also give the children who participate in the Trees and Education project continuity in environmental activities.

The Mata Atlantica is a beautiful area of Brazil that is in danger of being completely destroyed. SALVEASERRA is working to protect this area of natural beauty, and appreciates your continued support in order to do this!  

SALVEASERRA is very excited that they were chosen for Neutrogena’s Wave for Change campaign.  They need your vote!   Vote today at http://www.neutrogena.com/category/wave+for+change.do

Links:

• Vote for SALVEASERRA in Neutrogena's Wave For Change Campaign