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Who Will Repair It? Date Recorded: Jan 27th, 2008 |
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Topic Background |
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| The Jewish holiday Tu B’Shevat marks the “New year for the trees”, and traces its roots to the desert existence of the ancient Israelites. In that hot, dry climate, trees are not taken for granted, and the ancients paid tribute to them for the life-sustaining foods, shelter, habitat and beauty they provide. Tu B’Shevat is still celebrated annually by Jews around the world. Ms. Berman, who was raised in a religious household, relates how her beliefs have shaped her environmental activism and encourages anyone interested in exploring the growing environmental movement within their faith communities, to find inspiration in her words. | |
Speaker Biography |
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| Tzeporah Berman is the Program Director for ForestEthics, an organization dedicated to protecting endangered forests. She has been instrumental in bringing about changes in the paper and wood practices of several major corporations, including Staples, Home Depot and Victoria’s Secret.
Recently, Ms. Berman was seen in the feature-length documentary The 11th Hour, a film about global warming and other environmental concerns that was co-produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio. Ms. Berman was one of three primary negotiators for the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement announced on February 7, 2006 that protected over 5 million acres of ancient rainforest and created an unprecedented alliance between the logging industry, First Nations, the Provincial Government and environmental organizations. Prior to joining ForestEthics as staff, Ms. Berman worked for seven years with Greenpeace International and Greenpeace Canada. During her time with Greenpeace Ms.Berman was one of the primary architects of the forest markets campaign on Clayoquot Sound and was responsible for the design and launch of the Great Bear Rainforest campaign in 1995. Prior to joining Greenpeace Ms.Berman was one of the coordinators of the logging blockades in Clayoquot Sound that resulted in the largest civil disobedience protest in Canada’s history. Ms. Berman received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and her Masters in Environmental Studies from York University. She has made frequent speaking tours in Canada, the United States and Europe on Canadian forest practices and policy as well as the state of the world’s forests, international forest markets and environmental advocacy. She lives on Cortes Island, BC with her husband Christopher Hatch and their two children Forrest and Quinn. |
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