Retailers & wholesalers in environmental battle

about the need for environmental balance.

With commitment from the thousands of retailers and wholesalers nationwide, the socialandeconomic needs of the people can be effectively injected into the debate regarding the spotted owl, red cockaded woodpecker, old growth, wetlands, private property rights and a host ofrelated public policy issues, she explains. "We canhelp build the groundswell needed to take the 'people count, too' message to the media, decision makers and middle Americans across the country."

Here are some of her ideas on how retailers and wholesalers can help to inject balance into the environmental decision making process: o Educate otherretailers and whole- salers: help them understand the need for their involvement; show them their future in this industry is at risk; demonstrate how they can use their telephone networks to educate and involve people. o Support grass roots organizations and projects: pledge money or contribute time.

. Educate and activate customers: initiate conversations on timely issues; explain how they can be part of the emerging grass roots movement; alert them to opportunities for calling or writing elected officials, keeping up with grass roots publications.

. Develop telephone and fax trees: designate someone to receive action alert information and pass it to salespeople who will distribute information to their customers.

Story at a Glance

Ways retailers & wholesalers can help maintain log sup plies... Oregon Lands Coalition shares ideas for educating customers through conversation and telephone trees.

CHAIRPERSON of the Oregon Lands Coalition

Valerie Johnson is from a long line of lumbermen. Her personal commitment makes her an articulate voice for the industry. She has spoken to many groups including the North American Wholesale Lumber Association and the National Hardwood Lumber Association.

I UMBER retailers and wholesalL ers have an unprecedented opportunity to counter the preservationist publicity machine in the firestorm over old growth forests, spotted owls and the Endangered Species Act.

The lumbermen have within their ranks a network with the potential to be more powerful than the preservationists' well manned, highly budgeted cross country communications system, Jackie Lang, Oregon Lands Coalition, claims. The telephone sales system developed and refined through the hard work of the retailers and wholesalers is a mechanism that can play a chief role in moving the lumber industry from a defensive posture to proactive in the fight to maintain lumber supplies.

Unlike the logger, mill worker and ceo. the lumber retailer and wholesaler have constant contact with the public. This makes them an untapped resource to help educate and activate people

What OLC ls & Does

Oregon Lands Coalition is a coop of 5l grass roots organizations and 77,000 people working together to put people back into the environmental equation.

Operating with a grass roots "bottomup" philosophy, the groups work together to educate each other and the public and to activate the masses when grass roots input is needed to inject balance into the environmental debate. It was created in 1989.

The organization's strategy is to have targeted and proactive media campaigns with high profile attention-drawing events using grass roots leaders as media spokespersons. In addition to obtaining press in leading publications across the country, they send lobbyists to Washington D.C. The most recent Fly-ln For Freedom trip attracted 370 people from 25 states. A new national coalition patterned after OLC, the Alliance for America, is being formed to carry the environmental work across the country.

The non-profit Oregon Lands Coalition canbe reached at 280 Court St. NE #5, Salem, Or. 97301 or (503) 363-8582.