If you arrived here, it’s because you believe in the value of sustainability like Deesup does. You want to respect and save the planet too, its biodiversity and its resources. Throughout November, the design marketplace’s commitment to the environment becames even more concrete with the launch of Forest Month, an initiative that supports Foreste in Piedi, a project of LifeGate, which is a reference point in Italy for sustainability. A special month in which everyone is called upon to help achieve an ambitious goal: to protect 100,000 m² of Brazilian Amazon forest for one year.
What is Foreste in Piedi project
San Pedro is one of 41 communities that reside in the municipality of Silves, 340 km away from Amazonas state capital, Manaus. There are 27 families, who have 700 hectares of forest under concession. There are about 150 people living there, who live and survive thanks to what nature offers, but external threats and isolation don’t allow the improvement of living conditions. The goal of Foreste in Piedi is to protect this area from poachers, fires and deforestation, and also to provide education to help the population to better manage resources and generate income.
The community is located along the Igarapé Capivara River and can only be reached by river, given the lack of roads. During the dry season, 25 km to walk through the forest separate it from the town of Silves. This inevitably makes access to aid, information, care and training more complicated, making people very vulnerable. LifeGate, in collaboration with the non-profit organizations ICEI and AVIVE, wants to help protect 560 hectares, 80% of the territory administered by the community. The aim is to control and combat all illegal activities, survey and monitor all forms of life present, map forest resources and finally train the local population, not only of San Pedro, but also from the surrounding areas, for a total of 128 families.
Forest Month: how you can support Foreste in Piedi with deesup
The furniture and design industry depends on the wood sector, which is closely linked to nature and its resources. Deesup has always encouraged the reuse and purchase of used design to reduce the waste of raw materials, including wood. So, by launching the Forest Month initiative all the design enthusiasts are invited to do more for the environment, together.
From November 2nd, for every new user registered on Deesup during the month of November, 50 m² of Amazon rainforest will be saved and protected. Simply create your own account on the site and you will receive a certificate that will attest your commitment to the project. Deesup aims to reach 100,000 m² by the end of November. Now more than ever, everyone’s collaboration is needed: word of mouth is absolutely necessary to achieve the goal.
Everyone is called upon to participate: if you are already registered, invite your friends to do the same now!
What we will save with Forest Month and Foreste in Piedi
The Amazon rainforest is not only essential for the production of oxygen for the whole planet, but also for ecosystem biodiversity. This is a very special corner of the planet where unique species live. For example, the castanheira tree, called in the indigenous language Cunhaporanga, “the most beautiful girl in the village”: a wonderful 70-metre-high tree whose trunk has a circumference of 10. Each family in the San Pedro community manages 50 m² and in each of these, every plant species present will be catalogued, complete with GPS mapping and numbering to monitor growth and development.
Plants, in fact, play a fundamental role for the local populations, since many of these are medicinal and therefore fundamental for the care and well-being of the person. For example, Breu Branco’s oil-resin, with anti-inflammatory properties, is used as an analgesic, to heal wounds and treat bronchitis, coughs and headaches. Or Andiroba: the leaves heal ulcers and a medicinal soap is extracted from the oil-resin which relieves skin problems, repels insects and heals burns.
And what about animals? It is estimated that up to 1000 different species can live together in a single square meter in the Amazon rainforest: an inestimable wealth, constantly threatened by illegal hunters. Controlling the borders of the territory means fighting all human threats: although the Brazilian government guarantees that 80% of the forest remains untouched, this is not always possible or verifiable due to the scarcity of resources. Taking part in the care of a small portion of a vast territory is already a first step, a gesture of love for nature.
The Deesup manifesto of sustainability: the concrete commitment
Deesup has always promoted the reuse of design icons, thus limiting their disposal and the production of the brand new, this is called circular economy. By supporting the Foreste in Piedi project, launching the Forest Month, all design enthusiasts can do more together, but not only. It is a tangible sign of the mission that Deesup pursues every day: to create a new sustainable consumption for high-end design. This intent was put on paper in the Sustainability Manifesto.
Deesup has ambitious but concrete goals, which confirm its soul: an ethical business, whose mission is to protect the planet and who live on it. November is the perfect time to participate in the change.