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Category : Making a Difference

Great Forest is a proud supporter of Pure Earth, a nonprofit established by Great Forest president Richard Fuller that works to clean up some of the world’s worst polluted communities in poor countries, where children are poisoned every day. Pure Earth has grown since it started as the Blacksmith Institute. Today, it works as part of the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution. Every month we will highlight one story about Making a Difference. Learn more in The Pollution Blog

Making A Difference:
Great Forest President Co-Chairs Landmark Pollution Report Reaching over 2 Billion 

Great Forest President Richard Fuller, in his capacity as President of the nonprofit Pure Earth, joined former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, former President of Mexico Carlos Salinas, and other leaders and experts on October 23 for the launch of The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health. The landmark report, with its shocking revelations about global pollution, has made … Continue reading Making A Difference:
Great Forest President Co-Chairs Landmark Pollution Report Reaching over 2 Billion  →

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Making A Difference: Great Forest’s Richard Fuller Makes It Into Vogue Magazine With Nonprofit Project

Great Forest founder Richard Fuller’s nonprofit Pure Earth has partnered with supermodel Molly Bair and over 20 leading jewelry designers to curate a special collection of jewelry crafted using recycled, Fairtrade, or mercury-free gold for auction.   “Consumers have probably heard about ‘blood diamonds,’ but few know about gold’s connection with toxic mercury,” Richard told … Continue reading Making A Difference: Great Forest’s Richard Fuller Makes It Into Vogue Magazine With Nonprofit Project →

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Making A Difference:
Golf, Green “Beer” and Generosity

A big thank you to Mike Doherty, President/CEO of Building Maintenance Services; Ralph Scopo from Classic, the team from Royal Waste, and all the other industry folks who turned out in force to support this year’s Pure Earth golf benefit. As many of you know,  the nonprofit Pure Earth was established by Great Forest president Richard Fuller … Continue reading Making A Difference:
Golf, Green “Beer” and Generosity →

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Making A Difference:
Walk-Through Of Agbogbloshie E-Waste Dump Site Spreads Message About Safe Recycling

Great Forest is a proud supporter of Pure Earth, a nonprofit that works to clean up some of the world’s worst polluted communities. Our blog features regular stories about their work is Making A Difference. Recycling is a great thing.  But it has to be done properly. When improperly processed, e-waste can pollute and poison communities.  This … Continue reading Making A Difference:
Walk-Through Of Agbogbloshie E-Waste Dump Site Spreads Message About Safe Recycling →

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Making A Difference: So Fresh, So Clean

What do you do after your home and yard has just been decontaminated? Well, you lie down on the freshly cleaned ground! These boys in the Chowa neighborhood of Kabwe, Zambia, are displaying their playful appreciation. When this photo was taken, the nonprofit Pure Earth had just completed the remediation of 24 highly contaminated homes … Continue reading Making A Difference: So Fresh, So Clean →

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Great Forest Founder On NPR’s The Takeaway

Last week, Great Forest founder Richard Fuller spoke with John Hockenberry on NPR’s The Takeaway about the climate change debate and its impact on the fight against toxic pollution–the largest cause of death among the poorest people on the planet. This followed the historic COP21 agreement in Paris, where nearly 200 countries settled on an international plan to reduce greenhouse … Continue reading Great Forest Founder On NPR’s The Takeaway →

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Making A Difference: Dinner Served On 960 Pieces Of Lead-Free Pottery Sends Urgent Message Across Mexico

Did you know that having a great meal in Mexico might also mean being exposed to toxic lead?  This is because much of the beautiful, traditional pottery used in homes and restaurants across Mexico contain lead glazes. At this year’s Festival Internacional Cervantino, one of the most important arts and cultural events in Latin America, … Continue reading Making A Difference: Dinner Served On 960 Pieces Of Lead-Free Pottery Sends Urgent Message Across Mexico →

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Making A Difference: A Tale of Three Cleanups – Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Mexico

Getting arrested in Azerbaijan, receiving a late night urgent email from Mexico, and digging up backyards in a toxic “craft” village in Vietnam. Read about these adventures in toxic pollution cleanup in three very different parts of the world. Great Forest proudly supports the work of Pure Earth in fighting global toxic pollution in the world’s … Continue reading Making A Difference: A Tale of Three Cleanups – Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Mexico →

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Making A Difference: Peru – A Path Of Gold And Destruction

A team from our sister nonprofit Pure Earth recently spent ten days traveling deep into remote areas of Peru to reach current gold mining communities in the Andes mountains and in the rainforest. What they saw amazed them — from the terrible, scarred landscape left behind after gold extraction, to the innovative way some “model” … Continue reading Making A Difference: Peru – A Path Of Gold And Destruction →

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Making A Difference: New Book From Great Forest Founder Chronicles “Indiana Jones-Style” Adventures In World’s Most Toxic Places

“Richard Fuller has been the driving force behind two huge environmental agendas: corporate sustainability and pollution in the developing world. He’s the Elon Musk of the environment.” — Hon Nereus Acosta, Advisor for the Environment, Office of the President, Government of the Philippines Who knew cleaning up toxic waste could be the stuff of Indiana … Continue reading Making A Difference: New Book From Great Forest Founder Chronicles “Indiana Jones-Style” Adventures In World’s Most Toxic Places →

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Making A Difference: A Toxic Beach in Azerbaijan Gets Cleaned Up

This summer, when families return to stake out their spot in the sun along the coast of the Caspian sea in Sumgait Azerbaijan, there will be one crucial difference. The beach will no longer be toxic, and they will no longer be exposed to poisons, especially when they indulge in what locals call a solar bath, … Continue reading Making A Difference: A Toxic Beach in Azerbaijan Gets Cleaned Up →

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Making A Difference: Recycling E-Waste into Amazing Works of Art

These amazing works of art, many created out of e-waste, is a beautiful testament to the power and endless possibilities of recycling. They were generously donated by about 30 artists for auction at Pure Earth’s benefit ball in April. The event raised a total of over $300,000 to help make a difference in some of the world’s worst polluted places. … Continue reading Making A Difference: Recycling E-Waste into Amazing Works of Art →

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Making A Difference: Top Ten Countries Turning The Corner on Toxic Pollution

In Senegal, they replaced a polluting industry with a hydroponic garden. In Vietnam, they cleaned up a village at a cost of just $20 a person. They are among ten countries making a difference in the fight against toxic pollution — the largest cause of death in the world. Their stories are proof that in spite of … Continue reading Making A Difference: Top Ten Countries Turning The Corner on Toxic Pollution →

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Making A Difference: Collaborate With Nonprofit Pure Earth To Mark Earth Day

As you may know, in addition to founding Great Forest, Richard Fuller also started an extraordinary not-for-profit called Pure Earth. Great Forest is a big supporter of Pure Earth and we thought you might be interested in collaborating with them on some cause-related marketing opportunities available at the upcoming Benefit Ball on April 27, at Gotham … Continue reading Making A Difference: Collaborate With Nonprofit Pure Earth To Mark Earth Day →

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Making A Difference: What Causes 1 in 7 Deaths?

What’s the leading cause of death in developing countries? A.  malnutrition and undernutrition B.  tuberculosis, malaria & HIV/AIDS C.  pollution Click to find out.  The answer might surprise you. This stealth killer causes 1 in 7 deaths around the world. Great Forest is a proud supporter of the Blacksmith Institute for a Pure Earth, a … Continue reading Making A Difference: What Causes 1 in 7 Deaths? →

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Making A Difference: A Toxic Mystery At A School In Armenia

Recently, Blacksmith Institute for a Pure Earth came across a school in Armenia, where various mounds of highly toxic waste had mysteriously appeared (see photo below). The piles appeared to have been dumped there surreptitiously by a company looking to get rid of their mining waste. Children  in the school yard were playing around the exposed piles … Continue reading Making A Difference: A Toxic Mystery At A School In Armenia →

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Making A Difference: Transforming An E-Waste Site Into A Model Recycling Center

While we work to help companies recycle e-waste responsibly in the U.S., our sister nonprofit Pure Earth is working to tackle the issue in Agbogbloshie, Ghana, the location of one of the world’s best-known e-waste dump sites. According to the EPA, about 2.37 million short tons of e-waste was discarded in the U.S. in 2009. It is … Continue reading Making A Difference: Transforming An E-Waste Site Into A Model Recycling Center →

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Making A Difference: Businessweek Features Great Forest Founder’s Global Pollution Cleanup Efforts

“Fuller and Pure Earth (Blacksmith) have amassed an impressive record of success…” — Businessweek, Sept. 2014 Great Forest founder Richard Fuller spoke with Businessweek recently about his work addressing global toxic pollution with our sister nonprofit Blacksmith Institute/Pure Earth. The article also chronicled one of Blacksmith’s most dangerous cleanup projects at a former soviet arms site sitting on … Continue reading Making A Difference: Businessweek Features Great Forest Founder’s Global Pollution Cleanup Efforts →

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Making A Difference: Breaking Mexico’s 500-Year-Old Toxic Tradition

Renowned Poet Homero Aridjis Makes Heartfelt Plea For A Lead-Free Mexico  Did you know that millions of men, women and children in Mexico have elevated blood lead levels?  Many are “poisoned” at each meal by food cooked in or served on traditional pottery made by local artisans using toxic lead glazes. Did you know that a … Continue reading Making A Difference: Breaking Mexico’s 500-Year-Old Toxic Tradition →

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Making A Difference: Richard Fuller Addresses U.N., Petition To Stop Largest Cause of Death

This June, Great Forest founder Richard Fuller addressed the U.N. as president of Pure Earth/Blacksmith Institute, on behalf of the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP), to urge the world to pay more attention to the largest cause of death in the developing world – pollution. [Sign and share the Petition] Pollution is a global killer, causing about 8.4 million deaths … Continue reading Making A Difference: Richard Fuller Addresses U.N., Petition To Stop Largest Cause of Death →

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Making a Difference: Cleaning Up A Former Soviet Arms Site Sitting On Top Of a Forgotten “Bomb”

Just how hard is it to clean up a toxic polluted site sitting on top of a “bomb,” at a secret site? This month’s TCE magazine features the story behind Pure Earth/Blacksmith Institute’s work dealing with one of the most dangerous examples of legacy pollution – the toxic remains of Soviet arms production. In a … Continue reading Making a Difference: Cleaning Up A Former Soviet Arms Site Sitting On Top Of a Forgotten “Bomb” →

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“Slumdog Millionaire” Actor/Activist Dev Patel Teams Up With Blacksmith To Launch Pure Earth

Actor/activist Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, The Newsroom, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) has teamed up with our sister nonprofit Blacksmith Institute to help launch PURE EARTH, a new campaign that aims to raise awareness of the threat toxic pollution poses to poor children living in some of the world’s worst polluted places. Patel, who celebrated his birthday … Continue reading “Slumdog Millionaire” Actor/Activist Dev Patel Teams Up With Blacksmith To Launch Pure Earth →

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Making a Difference: Earth Day – Beyond Sustainability and Climate Change

As we mark another Earth Day – the 44th since 1970 – it is good to know that awareness of environmental issues has indeed grown over the years. We see this in the focus on sustainability (like we do here in this blog) and climate change — both important, pressing issues. But there remains one … Continue reading Making a Difference: Earth Day – Beyond Sustainability and Climate Change →

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Making A Difference: What Do Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Have In Common with 100,000 Mongolians?

About 100,000 Mongolians are rural “gold ninjas.” While these Mongolian “ninjas” are heroic in their efforts to make a living for their families – artisanal gold mining is difficult and dangerous work – they are, unfortunately, also being poisoned by their jobs. Find out why these miners have been compared to the Teenage Mutant Ninja … Continue reading Making A Difference: What Do Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Have In Common with 100,000 Mongolians? →

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Making A Difference… in Tajikistan, Near the Roof of the World

This month we take you to Tajikistan, where mountains cover more than 90% of the country, and half of it sits 10,000 feet or more above sea level. This former Soviet republic at the “roof of the word” is home to some of the most breathtaking views on earth. But beneath the beauty lies a legacy … Continue reading Making A Difference… in Tajikistan, Near the Roof of the World →

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Making a Difference: Shaping the World’s Sustainable Development Agenda for the Next Decade

2014 is a crucial year. This is the year that hundreds of countries and the world’s leading organizations will decide on a list of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that will determine the key issues the world will pay attention to beyond 2015, when the current  Millennium Development Goals expire.  “What is agreed to this year will set the world’s sustainable development … Continue reading Making a Difference: Shaping the World’s Sustainable Development Agenda for the Next Decade →

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Making a Difference: Training Women in Senegal

Thank you to all our clients who have joined us over the years to support Blacksmith’s work. How did our support make a difference this year? Here is one example – a project to train women in Senegal to provide them with a safe and sustainable way to earn an income and feed their family. This woman was one of over … Continue reading Making a Difference: Training Women in Senegal →

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Making A Difference: Great Forest Raises Money to Clean Polluted Site in India

As part of our giving back pledge, Great Forest supported the nonprofit Blacksmith Institute’s first benefit for India, which raised hundreds of thousands for pollution cleanup, including over $30,000 to launch a new project in Khan Chandpur, a village of 1,200 people in Kanpur. Located in the leather hub of India, the village is one of about 30 … Continue reading Making A Difference: Great Forest Raises Money to Clean Polluted Site in India →

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Great Forest President Featured As UNEP Expert

Great Forest President Richard Fuller was recently featured as a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) expert, answering questions on pollution. UNEP featured experts share their expertise on environmental issues and the sustainability of natural resources. Richard has worked with the UNEP on global pollution cleanup projects with the Blacksmith Institute, the nonprofit he founded, which … Continue reading Great Forest President Featured As UNEP Expert →

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Breakthrough Solutions for One of Earth’s Biggest Challenges

A conversation with Richard Fuller, president of Great Forest Inc. and the Blacksmith Institute. January 27, 2009. By Alice Bumgarner for Idea Connection Even as Richard Fuller was running Great Forest Inc., one of the top sustainability consulting companies in the U.S., he wondered what sort of tangible environmental impact his work made: Was it … Continue reading Breakthrough Solutions for One of Earth’s Biggest Challenges →

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