ALERT: Strategy Meeting to STOP Genetically Engineered Trees Taking Place in Myrtle Beach
List of Experts Available for Interviews Provided Below
North Myrtle Beach –Indigenous peoples, scientists, lawyers and environmental experts will gather in North Myrtle Beach, SC over October 12-18 to discuss impacts of and strategies to combat genetically engineered trees (GE trees), with a focus on the U.S. Southeast.
South Carolina and the Southeast US have been called “ground zero” for the development of GE trees in the United States. While no GE trees have been deregulated for commercial production here, hundreds of test plots of GE trees are growing throughout the region in part thanks to ArborGen, a global leader in GE tree research and development whose World Headquarters are in Ridgeville, SC. ArborGen has been the subject of several protests over the years due to their pursuit of GE trees.
Strategy meeting participants will discuss breaking developments surrounding several engineered trees, including Eucalyptus, Loblolly pine and American chestnut trees.
The attendees also plan to take part in clean up efforts in areas affected by Hurricane Matthew.
Available For Interviews Beginning 13 October:
Anne Petermann is the Executive Director of Global Justice Ecology Project, which she co-founded in 2003. She is also the International Coordinator of the Campaign to STOP GE Trees. She has been working to stop GE trees since 1999. Her work to defend forests and the rights of forest dependent peoples all over the world began in 1989.
+1.716.931.5833 – anne@globaljusticeecology.org
Rachel Smolker, co-Director of Biofuelwatch (BFW) is an active member of the Campaign to Stop GE Trees Steering Committee. Smolker has a Ph.D. in biology.
Biofuelwatch works to oppose GE trees as part of their work to raise awareness about the impacts of industrial and commercial scale bioenergy, including biofuels and cofiring wood with coal. Much of the tree biotechnology work underway is aimed towards engineering trees as feedstocks for commercial bioenergy and biochemicals.
+1.802.735.7794 – rsmolker@riseup.net
Ruddy Turnstone is a GE trees campaigner forGlobal Justice Ecology Project and is on the Campaign to Stop GE Trees steering committee. She works to ban genetically engineered trees from commercialization globally, nationally and locally. A half-desi from the southeastern U.S., Ruddy provides direct action climb trainings for the Earth First! Climbers Guild, Greenpeace, Trans and Women’s Action Camps, and others.
+1.561.536.5430 – ruddy@globaljusticeecology.org
BJ McManama an organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network, has been involved with Indigenous and environmental issues for the past 20 years. When not working on national and global environmental issues, she participates with local environmental and social justice organizations whose focuses include maintaining food security and safety, and protecting water resources and forests from encroaching extractive industries.
+1.828.777.4882 – bjmcmanama@gmail.com
Adam Macon is the Our Forests Aren’t Fuel Campaign Director with Dogwood Alliance. Macon has a passion for organizing people and fighting the corporations whose practices destroy our earth. While attending UNC-Asheville, where he graduated with a BS in Environmental Management and Policy, he began his career in activism as an intern for Dogwood Alliance. Since then, Adam has worked with several organizations to fight coal plants, protect our public water systems and build the sharing economy.
+1.828.251.2525 Ext. 15– adam@dogwoodalliance.org
On Site Media Contact: Orin Langelle can be contacted for assistance reaching anyone on the AFI list above at +1.716.536.5669 –
langellephoto@photolangelle.org
Media Contact: Kip Doyle, Media Coordinator, Global Justice Ecology Project, Campaign to STOP GE Trees