Featured Partner
Breathe News
The Atlantic Rainforest Institution completes Foundation Building in Itacaré ready for the New Year
23.12.10
Almost six months since the completion of the Breathe/Respira Brazil event, the final stages of the Atlantic Rainforest Institute (ARFI) Foundation Building in Itacare is nearing completion, ready for opening early in the New Year. Constructed using local and recycled materials, it's designed for administration of their reforestation and preservation programs and as a meeting point for local community and schools organizations.
Funded by ARFI in conjunction with a grant from the EOG Association for Conservation, the ARFI Foundation building will become a central educational and administration point for AFRI for it's continuing it's preservation and restoration work in and around Itacaré, Brazil. AFRI, a non-profit organization, has been undertaking reforestation, education and raising awareness of the issues facing the Atlantic Rainforest. Built using local and recycled materials including re-claimed wood, glass bottles instead of traditional building bricks, and the most ecologically sound materials available.
The Atlantic Rainforest is the most striking example of a conservation HOTSPOT – 93% of it’s original size has been destroyed during the last 500 years. It is very rich in biodiversity and under continued threat! Just for your information: about 80% of the Amazon remains today. The worst, the Atlantic Rainforest is hardly known by anybody in the Western world – AFRI works to change this.
Founded in 2005 to create direct action initiatives in the Atlantic Rainforest have created Carbon Neutralization program that closes the circle on urgent Reforestation and Protection needs while addressing the many of the social issues that foster them. Using the ARFI "Carbon Calculator", you can gauge your carbon footprint and offset your emissions with money directly invested into creating a Conservation and Reforestation Corridor in one of the worlds most threatened bio-diversity hot spots.
Started shortly prior to the start of the Breathe/Respira Brazil event held in Itacaré over the 15th to 25th of May, the AFRI reforestation initiatives and construction of the Foundation building represented part of the 10-day program.
Funding to make this possible was acquired via a grant presented to the Breathe Foundation by the EOG Association of Conservation , an non-profit organization set up by the European Outdoor sports Industry tasked with funding conservation projects world wide.
The completion of the ARFI Foundation building winds down the 2010 commitment to the area of Itacaré by the Breathe Foundation, however the work and urgent need for support for programs in the Atlantic Rainforest and raising awareness for them remain a central focus for our organization.
For more information or to find out how you can help please visit:
EOG Association for Conservation
Watch - Start of Construction of AFRI Foundation Buliding
