How can you help fight for sustainable agriculture, forestry and tourism, and contribute to mitigating climate change, protecting wildlife habitats and combating child labor on farms? By looking for the green frog seal on the products you buy. It’s Rainforest Alliance’s green frog. That green frog symbol allows consumers to identify a legitimately sustainable product or service and to support those businesses that are acting responsibly. 

Rainforest Alliance’s approach? “The Rainforest Alliance harnesses the power of the marketplace to arrest the major drivers of environmental destruction: timber extraction, agricultural expansion, cattle ranching and tourism. Our work ensures that hundreds of millions of acres of forests, farms, ranchlands and hotel properties meet rigorous sustainability standards and that the rights and well-being of people employed by these enterprises are safeguarded. And by giving consumers a reliable way to identify responsibly produced goods and services — via the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal and Rainforest Alliance Verified™ mark — we demonstrate that sustainable businesses thrive in our global economy.”

So how is Rainforest Alliance alleviating poverty? As this international non-governmental organization recognizes: “It is pointless to tell an impoverished family or community to put down the axe without providing an alternative. Through technical assistance, the Rainforest Alliance and its partners work with farmers and forest managers to provide them with the tools and know-how to manage their natural resources. Those that meet rigorous environmental, social and economic standards can use the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal to differentiate their products, reach new markets, negotiate better prices, improve their access to credit and lift themselves and their communities out of poverty.”

Also, Rainforest Alliance helps “indigenous groups and local communities to establish and operate sustainable tourism businesses, which can provide them with an economically viable alternative to deforestation. Through training and verification, we encourage tourism entrepreneurs to hire local employees and source their goods and services from local businesses, creating an economic ripple effect within communities and surrounding areas.”

So “shop the frog.” As the Alliance advises: “whether you’re traveling, working on a new building project, or shopping for food, beverages and paper products, the frog is your guide to green living.”