Supporting the Amazon rainforest and her people

The ongoing crisis of deforestation, alongside devastating floods, continues to have a profound and far-reaching impact on the Brazilian Amazon rainforest and her people. Deeply moved by what we are witnessing, and having had the incredible privilege of connecting with members of the Huni Kuin tribe, we felt called to act.

Each year, we donate to organisations working to protect the Amazon and support her indigenous communities. These have included The Chaikuni Institute, The Pachamama Temple, The Boa Foundation, and the WWF’s Urgent Amazon Appeal – all of whom are doing vital work in preserving sacred land, culture, and biodiversity, and the well-being of all those who call the rainforest home.

The Huni Kuin

The Huni Kuin people, also known as “Kaxinawá” or “true people,” (from huni, “people”, and kuin meaning “true.”) live mostly in the Brazilian Amazon Basin.  Their lands extend to the foot of the Andes in Eastern Peru. They are the largest indigenous population in the Brazilian state of Acre, currently living on twelve indigenous reservations along seven different rivers.

We have had the privilege of meeting, sitting and joining in with the chants, healing and incredible musical talents of some Huni Kuin elders that have visited Europe.  You might recognise the photo above, which went viral on social media and was used in some newspapers, when they prayed for the Amazon rainforest outside the Brazilian Embassy in London back in August 2019!  Here you can see the pajés in their traditional ceremonial clothes and headdresses.

Please meet (from left to right) Bainawa Huni Kuin, Txana Tuwe Huni Kuin and the Chieftain Sia Txana Huibei. These three pajés held prayers for the Amazon outside the Brazilian Embassy at the Extinction Rebellion protest in August.  You can see Sia talking in the Extinction Rebellion movie above.  Photos by www.stevesills.com

What can you do?

Faced with the enormous global problems the world faces right now here are a few ideas on how you might like to play a role in supporting the Amazon:

1. You could donate to one of the frontline NGO’s working to defend and protect the amazon and her people. This could be The Boa Relief Fund, Apoti, The Rainforest Action Network (who run Protect An Acre grants), the Rainforest Trust, Amazon Watch (who are working on behalf of and with the indigenous people) or most famous of all the WWF.
2. You could become a regular monthly contributor to an organisation and keep the donation going all year round.  Any money counts but some organisations have special dedicated donor schemes. The Rainforest Alliance for example, have the Canopy Associates programme for anyone contributing more than $1000 where special events, webinars and other exclusive benefits are offered.
3. Stay informed and sign up to the WWF.  They will keep you up to date on conservation work, fund-raising and campaigns. Here’s the link:  https://www.wwf.org.uk/fight-climate-change/thank-you
4. Don’t let the media move on and the Amazon rainforest become old news.  Use your voice – put the Amazon in your social media feed.  Share posts, tag new agencies and influencers.  Help to keep her headline news.
5. Whilst many of the fires have been set to clear land for agribusiness large areas are often burned to access trees for felling or to create access to other areas of the forest. Reducing the amount of paper and wood we use is a good way to help reduce commercial pressures on the Amazon, as well as other forests around the world.
6. Think more about the food you buy.  Shop locally and support your local businesses.  Cattle ranching accounts for about 80% of the forest being cleared in the Amazon. An area the size of Ireland has been cleared for growing soybean!  As far as possible avoid highly processed foods. Eat a more plant-based diet (you’ll live longer).  Moderate your meat quota – even dropping meat from your meals two to three nights a week could make a huge impact! Read the label and know where your food is coming from to limit its carbon footprint (buy seasonal food locally sourced!), keep your eyes peeled for Fairtrade, Freedom Food (animal welfare), MSC & ASC (seafood) and in anything to do with palm oil the RSPO logo is a must.
7. Be a conscious consumer.  Buy less, recycle, repair and upcycle.  Shop smart and waste less.  Look out for labels such as GOTS, FSC, Fairtrade, Okeo-Tex, Carbon Reduction Label, Soil Association, Vegan, Rainforest Alliance (the green frog) so that you know the goods you are been sustainably or ethically sourced or at least made with respect for the planet and her people.  Try to reduce your single use plastic consumption. Do some homework and check out blogs, articles, magazines and social media feeds that can give you tips and ideas on how you can shop more consciously.
8. As a consumer you have purchase power.  You also have the power to lobby, protest, campaign and sign petitions calling the government to action. When it comes to voting remember that we need leaders who understand the urgency of our climate crisis and are willing to take bold action—including strong governance and forward-thinking policy.
9. Our dear friends Trudy Goodman and Jack Kornfield, the founders of Insight LA Meditation and Spirit Rock often speak of ‘loving awareness.’  In recent conversations with them Jack said that whilst we live in challenging and turbulent times the most important thing that we could all do as individuals was to “quiet the mind and tend the heart.”  That by tending our souls and looking within to heal, rector and balance we could all make a positive impact on the world and therefore collective force with the universe.

So that’s 9 ideas from us.  Maybe a couple of them will resonate with you?

Past projects in the Amazon rainforest

If you are interested to know more about our past ventures in the Amazon with the Shipibo communities of Peru then read on…

The Chaikuni Institute

In our first year of trading we were privileged to support The Chaikuni Institute, a grassroots collective which is working hard to secure a sustainable future for the Peruvian Amazon rainforest and her people. They are actively involved in a diverse range of projects including a permaculture centre, intercultural education campaigns as well as human and nature rights.  More recently they have added the sustainable and ethical production of ayahuasca to their portfolio of projects.

The Pachamama Temple

In our second year of trading Earthmonk teamed up with Pachamama Temple, in Pucallpa (Peru) to provide resources and facilities to ensure a future for the cultural heritage of the Shipibo people as well as a sustainable future for the indigenous teachers and healers of the Amazon.  To this end Earthmonk donated funds to remove the termite infested roof of their ceremonial hall (maloca) and build a new one.  Plans took an unusual turn when the idea came about to use a master tree as the main structure for the roof!  We were also able to pay for the building of the Soi Kano Shipibo school.  A school founded to save the Shipibo culture, ensure the future of their rich plant medicine knowledge and enrich the indigenous people by providing free education.

10% of the money you spend at Earthmonk directly supports the programmes above*. The donation amount is calculated at checkout and excludes the VAT component and any postage costs.    *Please note that a contribution is not made for any item sold on Sale price.