Gaggle of Raging Grannies
Descend on Home Depot
A gaggle of Raging Grannies from Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver spent Thursday morning north of Squamish on the edge of the Stoltmann Wilderness, looking at huge clearcuts, an area currently being logged by Interfor, and an area that is proposed to be logged by Interfor.
After witnessing numerous logging trucks laden with huge Douglas Fir pass by, the grannies came to a Vancouver suburb for a half-hour tour of a local Home Depot store, where they saw products from Interfor, as well as other ancient forest products from around the world on the shelves of the store. Over 20 grannies and 10 supporters joined the tour to learn more about how Home Depot is selling off the worlds last ancient forests at knock-down prices, before gathering outside for an hour to sing and inform customers. A leaflet was produced with a picture of the grannies next to a huge logging truck that had been taken that morning, and was handed out to over 200 customers as a memento of their visit.
Not content with standing outside and singing, the grannies decided to head back into the store, and literally charged (!) the main entrance, with store security quickly moving in to block their path. The grannies then burst into song once again as bemused customers looked on and the RCMP moved in.
A big thanks to the Raging Grannies for travelling many hours to join in the campaign against Home Depot and Interfor, and to the Friends of Clayoquot Sound for helping organise this day of action!
All in all a very successful, and very raging day.
- Gavin Edwards
SEATTLE RAGING GRANNIES INVADE CANADA (BY INVITE)
(Vancouver, British Columbia) Thursday, June 17 the Seattle chapter of the Raging Grannies donned their protest hats and joined their counterparts from Victoria, British Columbia, and Vancouver, BC, in a threatened ancient rainforest grove in the Stoltmann Wilderness just outside of Vancouver, BC. The international contingent of Grannies are to serenade customers of Home Depot later today to drive home the message that buying ancient forest products causes ancient forest destruction.
"We Grannies have a certain affinity with these grand old trees," said Carolyn Hale of the Seattle chapter. "They contain the wisdom of the ages - they know how to preserve wild salmon, they help slow our 
globe from warming, and they are standing libraries for First Nations People. And tomorrow they could be lying in Home Depot as 2 by 4's!"
The US has only 5% of its ancient forests remaining. BC has over 50% remaining, but logs enough each year to be able to fill logging trucks circling the globe 1.5 times. Over 60% of the BC harvest ends up in American wholesalers and retailers. Home Depot, with over 700 stores, is the largest retailer of ancient forest products in the world.
"We're happy our Seattle cousins are coming up to join the party," said Rea Bos of the Victoria Grannies. "We are all in this together because the environment knows no borders."
The ancient rainforest grove that the Grannies visited is due to be logged by International Forest Products (Interfor), a supplier to Home Depot. There the Grannies had a picnic and took pictures that they handed out to customers of Home Depot.
Raging Granny song snippet, sung to tune of Coming 'Round the Mountain:
The forest's our concern and so we're here
It was a lovely invitation
Asking our participation
'Cause we don't want our forest cut and clear.
The Seattle Raging Grannies are at www.raginggrannies.com
Home Depot Recieves the "Golden Stump Award" in Vancouver!
Vancouver, B.C., May 26, 1999 (FAN) - Today in Vancouver, Home Depot employee Darth Vader, dressed in a regulation orange apron, accepted on behalf of the corporation (the Empire) the " Golden Stump Award". The award was presented to him by a rare Stoltmann Wilderness Wookie, who's presentation speech outlined the destruction of BC's ancient rainforests and Home Depot's practice of purchasing wood from Interfor, clearcut from the Stoltmann Wilderness and other areas in the Great Bear Rainforest.
Darth Vader of Home Depot's Empire Force urging the destruction of ancient forests for the sake of profit. (Photo courtesy David Barbarash )
Home Depot's forces of darkness, represented by Mr. Vader, graciously accepted the award and urged everyone to join in on the destruction of ancient forests. His acceptance speech was met by boos and hisses from the crowd of 25 bystanders, who were members of the Rebel Alliance, concerned citizens of BC.
Against a backdrop of banners reading, "Home Depot Destroys Rainforests" and "Home Depot Destroys Homes", the rebel Alliance rounded out the event by presenting consumers with leaflets exposing the truth about Home Depot.
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Update & Pictures of Action - 3/17/99 |
* Ask Home Depot staff for sustainably harvested, independently certified forest products.
* Check with your city planning department to see if Home Depot is applying for a permit to build another mega-store in your town.
* Check your mutual fund to see if you are unknowingly investing in Home Depot.
* Organize a protest at your local Home Depot (Contact Mission Control for more Information, advice and action resources).
The Home Depots in the Vancouver area:
| Burnaby 3950 Henning Dr Burnaby, V5C 6M2 (604) 294-3030 Coquitlam Langley Nanaimo |
N Surrey 12701-110th Ave North Surrey, V3V 3K7 (604) 580-1888 Richmond S Surrey Vancouver |
For More Information Contact Mission Control:
Forest Action Network
Box 625, Bella Coola, BC, V0T 1C0, Canada
Tel: (250) 799-5800 Fax: (250) 799-5830
Email: fanbc@fanweb.org
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