Forest Botanicals Week – Sustainable Herbs Program

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I’m thrilled to share with you the launch of Forest Botanicals Week (May 18–22, 2020). Forest Botanicals Week is a public awareness campaign supporting a sustainable, responsible, and equitable supply of Appalachian forest botanicals. Along with our partners, Katie Commender from the Appalachian Herb Hub and I have been hard at work creating an information-filled week to bring to life these forest botanicals and the communities where they grow.
This campaign also highlights exciting initiatives in Appalachia. We’ll share stories and videos about these initiatives and suggest ways to get involved.
We have two key primary goals for this campaign:
1) To encourage people to sign the Forest Botanicals Sustainability Pledge. We will share that pledge with companies to let them know you care about the sustainable and ethical sourcing of forest botanicals.
2) To encourage companies to sign the Forest Botanicals Company Pledge and commit to helping develop sustainable and ethical sources of forest botanicals in Appalachia.
What you can do!
  • Sign the Forest Botanicals Sustainability Pledge!
  • Join our Facebook Pop-Up Group to join the conversation.
  • Visit the new Forest Botanicals Week section of the SHP website! We will be sharing content each day on social media, but you are welcome to explore the videos on your own, look at Steven Foster’s beautiful photos, and read about the history and uses of some of the plants.
  • Share the campaign with friends using the hashtags: #ForestBotanicalsWeek #OurForestsOurFuture #TheForestWithin.
We invite you to join us on the journey, to learn more about the people and plants from Appalachia, and discover how you can help.

What is Forest Botanicals Week?

 

Forest Botanicals Week (May 18-22, 2020) is a free online public awareness campaign supporting a sustainable, responsible, and equitable supply of Appalachian forest botanicals.

Tune in May 18-22, 2020 on social media for forest botanical posts by campaign organizers, Sustainable Herbs Program and Appalachian Sustainable Development, and herbal partners (see list below).

COVID-19 is waking the world to our interdependence and relationship with the earth. For those of us who love and use medicinal plants, this is an opportunity to shape the future of herbal medicine. Yet what does it mean to be accountable for the health of the forests and gardens where medicinal plants grow? What does good stewardship actually look like? Most importantly, how can you help?

Appalachian forest botanicals – American ginseng, goldenseal, black and blue cohosh and others – are perennial medicinal herbs that grow in some of the most biodiverse forests in the world. These plants have been traded as commodities for centuries, providing an income when times are tight. As a result of overharvesting and habitat loss, however, wild populations of forest botanicals are declining and some are now considered at-risk.

Forest Botanicals Week celebrates these medicinal plants growing in the Appalachian woodlands and the people and communities who depend upon them. We want to spark your curiosity about the issues and inspire you to join the cause. And we hope our advocacy motivates you to reflect more deeply on the ways our choices impact the world and how you can help make a difference.

Forest Botanicals Week is a public awareness campaign to support a more sustainable and ethical supply network of Appalachian forest botanicals.

Source: Forest Botanicals Week – Sustainable Herbs Program

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