Earth Day 2004

The abundance of North American forests was top of mind for many Americans this morning, as WPN partners Dr. Patrick Moore and Chuck Leavell shared their positive Earth Day messages with television, radio and print media across the country.

PATRICK MOORE REACHES MILLIONS OF TELEVISION VIEWERS
LIVE FROM CENTRAL PARK

Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace informs millions of television viewers about the positive benefits to the earth by using wood to build homes.

Moore kicked off the celebration with a satellite media tour live from New York's Central Park-one of America's largest urban forests.

"We've made tremendous progress in the last 35 years," he said. "We now have cleaner air and water, and-contrary to popular opinion-our forests are abundant and growing. In fact, there's about the same area of forest in the U.S. today as there was 100 years ago, and the volume of trees has grown 20 percent since the first Earth Day was observed in 1970."

Between 6 and 9 a.m., Moore spoke live via satellite to 20 television stations, reaching millions of viewers in key markets such as Denver, Houston, Buffalo, San Diego, New York and Phoenix. "Earth Day was created to remind us of the impact that our choices have on the environment-both negative and positive. We can be proud of the choices we've made in the last 35 years."

Click here to read Patrick's bio.

CHUCK LEAVELL HITS MILLIONS OF LISTENERS LIVE VIA RADIO

Chuck Leavell, forestry expert and keyboardist with the Rolling Stones, tells radio listeners about private foresters and their important contribution to growing and maintaining America’s forests.

Building on a media blitz that started in the week leading up to Earth Day, Leavell spent the morning sharing his unique perspective with major radio stations in Atlanta, Dallas and Boston, and in studio in New York. Perhaps best known as the keyboardist for the Rolling Stones, Leavell is also a private tree farmer and author of Forever Green: The History and Hope of the American Forest.

Correcting the misconception that American forests are all government owned, Leavell pointed out that "more than half are actually owned by families and individuals-people who are committed to sustainability because their livelihoods depend on it."

With Forever Green now in its second printing, WPN's Wood Information Bureau will seek ongoing opportunities for Leavell to continue sharing his positive messages concerning North American forests.

Click here to read Chuck's bio.

MOORE AND LEAVELL TALK TREES TO NEW YORK CITY SCHOOLCHILDREN

Working as a team, Moore and Leavell led a WPN camera crew through a tour of the Central Park forest, emphasizing forest sustainability and their shared view that using wood is good for the environment-because it creates demand in the market and provides the incentive for landowners to plant more trees.

Moore and Leavell joined park rangers and city officials in leading a group of school children on a tour of the Central Park forest.

"If we can teach young kids to respect the earth and love nature, we'll
all be better off," said Leavell. "It's something that will stay with
them for the rest of their lives."

A reporter and photographer from the New York Daily News accompanied the
kids, and WPN captured the tour on film for distribution as part of the
B-roll footage.

Footage from the tour will be distributed to television stations across the country, for use on the evening news or as part of follow-up Earth Day stories.