Against deforestation!

The European Commission wants to ban deforestation-causing products from the market. This is an excellent decision, because along with climate change, deforestation is one of the fateful issues for our planet.
Against deforestation blog | Ruohonjuuri.com

The EU's aim is that, in future, companies will be able to clearly identify the geographical location where their imported products were produced. Stricter rules are being worked on, in particular for imports of soya, beef, palm oil, timber, cocoa and coffee, which would only be allowed into the EU if it can be reliably demonstrated that the production of the products has not accelerated deforestation.

The EU's approach is important and the new rules would be a clear ethical and environmental improvement on the current situation - at least if the rules are respected. The Commission's decision would certainly also encourage the development of European crop production. 

Ruohonjuuri's products to combat deforestation

SHADE COFFEES. The Gran Palomar coffees that have become a favourite with Ruohonjuuri's customers over the years are shade coffees - and shade coffees are a concrete choice for biodiversity.For example, the Gran Palomar coffees that have become a favourite with Ruohonjuurti's customers over the years are shade coffees - and shade coffees are a concrete choice for biodiversity. Shade coffees are grown in a biodiverse way, in the midst of nature, with trees shading the coffee bushes. Gran Palomar coffees are therefore not plantation coffees, i.e. they are not intensively produced in monoculture plantations that have been cleared of forest.

Many of the other Cafetoria organic coffees sold at Ruohonjuuri are also grown at high altitude in the mountains, where the coffee bushes grow slowly with less oxygen and are shaded by taller plants. The high altitude also protects the coffee from many insect pests, eliminating the need for pesticides and resulting in a higher canopy.

So by choosing shade coffee you can play your small part in the fight for biodiversity - against deforestation!

Cafetoria coffees | Ruohonjuuri.com
BRAZIL NUTSBrazil nuts change the world for the better. They help preserve the Amazon rainforests, the lungs of the world.

Growing wild in the Amazon rainforest, Brazil nut trees are driving local people to protect their forests. For many people in the Amazon region, Brazil nuts are the only significant source of income, which is why they are especially cherished. So by eating Brazil nuts, you are doing a small act to protect unique ecosystems and combat deforestation - and getting a selenium boost for your own health.

The deliciously tasty Brazil nuts in the Aduki range grow wild and strong in the Amazon rainforest of Bolivia. Their exploitation creates work for 15,000 local collectors, who pick the nuts from the ground after they fall from the trees, weighing just under two kilos. The peeling, cleaning and packaging of Brazil nuts creates a total of 45 000 jobs. Brazil nut harvesting preserves rainforest biodiversity and prevents deforestation.

BEANS AND LENTILS. Picking beans instead of meat helps both to mitigate climate change and to fight deforestation.

The carbon footprint of vegetarian food is significantly lower than that of animal-based dishes. While one kilogram of beef consumes 15 carbon dioxide equivalents, beans can manage with 0.65.

There is also a loss of habitat, i.e. biodiversity, from livestock farming as forests are cut down for pasture. It's also highly inefficient to recycle plant proteins through animals. It's astonishing that even in Finland, about 95% of soya is used for animal feed and only about 5% for human consumption. A basic mixed eater will in practice crumble more soya than a vegetarian in a year.

NATURAL COSMETICS. In addition to many edible ingredients, natural cosmetics use only natural ingredients. The more natural cosmetics are used, the more natural raw materials are valued and biodiversity is preserved and, at its best, developed.

A large proportion of the raw materials used in natural cosmetics are grown organically, which is a superior production method for preserving biodiversity.
ORGANIC FARMING. What is clear is that organic farming is saving buzzers. Biodiversity thrives in organic fields and the main environmental impact of organic farming is to maintain biodiversity. Conventional production uses pesticides, making life difficult for insects and birds. For example, neonicotinoids used to control insect pests have been shown in studies to be harmful to bees and bumblebees. Neonicotinoids and other laboratory-developed pesticides must not be used in organic fields. This is one of the reasons why there are almost a third more plant and animal species on organic farms than on conventional farms.

The decline in pollinators threatens food production: 75% of food crops need pollinators to produce a crop. Without the hard work of pollinators, we would have no berries, fruit or nuts to pick. Buzzers are also naturally part of the food web, so when pollinators disappear, so do the birds that eat them.

So, in terms of food production, organically grown products are the choice against the wildlife catastrophe. The diversity of crop rotations, crop varieties and pollinator-friendly farming practices in organic production increase the diversity of living conditions for many wild animal and plant species.
BEE PRODUCTS. The enigmatic gifts of bees can be used not only to support your own well-being, but also as a choice for a better world. So bees and other pollinators play a major role in biodiversity. Favouring bee products will help save the buzzing bees.

At Ruohonjuuri, for example, we sell honey products from the Pesonen apiaries, which Esa and Minna Pesonen have been supplying to Ruohonjuuri for twenty years. The Pesonen apiaries are located in the Sastamala and Hämeenkyrö areas, where the terrain is a mixture of fields, forests and small watercourses. Their hard-working bees have a wide range of flowers and their pollination stamina is excellent.

Only good products

Every Ruohonjuuri product is a better choice for people and the environment - and for biodiversity. We know the background of our products and work closely with the small businesses that produce and import our products. We do not cheapen our partners' lives, but invest in long-term cooperation, which also extends to long-term work for a better world.

The shelves at Ruohonjuuri are bursting with products that are backed by concrete actions to defend biodiversity. Having visited the fields of Frantsila herb farm and A. Vogel's gardens (all of which could be described as a paradise for buzzers), we are convinced that together we are changing the world!

Nature is getting poorer as we humans try to get richer

Biodiversity loss has serious consequences for the planet and, of course, for human living conditions, food production and the economy. So, alongside climate change, it's important to fight against loss of biodiversity - in other words, to work for biodiversity.

All life on Earth depends on thriving environments with a rich diversity of plant and animal species. As a result of human activities, there are fewer and fewer plants and animals on Earth. Even entire species are becoming extinct. According to the nature panel IBPES, up to a million species of flora and fauna are threatened with extinction.

The main cause of the decline is land-use change, which is destroying and polluting habitats. Much of the loss of habitat is caused by current food production, which involves the clearing of rainforests for pastures for cattle or palm oil plantations, for example. This exacerbates erosion, i.e. the wearing away of the land, and exacerbates the loss of habitat. The expansion of the built environment and energy production also contribute to habitat loss.

Climate change is also accelerating habitat loss, with poaching and over-fishing also having a serious impact. As climate change and habitat loss are strongly linked, mitigation of climate change often helps biodiversity. It is therefore important that the fight against climate change always takes into account the impact of actions on biodiversity; each plant and animal species has its role in nature and its place in the food chain.

When we protect biodiversity, we are also defending all the things that enable human life, health and well-being - such as breathable air, clean water and food. Even if our individual contribution to the world is limited, each of us can make a difference. In fact: even our every word and our every action nudges the world a tiny bit in one direction. Together, we change the world!