For the market reading, I read the “Yes” article that was correlated to Fashion Merchandising. To be honest, I did not get much out of it. In many of these readings we do, it is extremely hard for me to pull out the main concepts because there is just so much information in one little reading. But from the little information I did gather, the article talked about con and trade. Con and trade deals with permits for trading items and regulating items. I also gathered the fact that people cannot afford environmental conservation. I wasn’t exactly sure what this actually meant. To put it in simple terms,  it is basically the practice of us humans to save the environment from collapsing, such as loss of species, ecosystems due to pollution and human activities. This is seen as a wicked problem. Why are the “more environmentally-friendly” products more expensive than the items that destroy our earth? Of course, consumers are more willing to buy the cheaper products no matter if it “saves the planet” or not. The article also talked about how the government has legal restrictions on new technology for us, the people. Imagine how much technology is behind the curtain that we don’t even know about yet! Will we ever know about these devices?

When it comes to deforestation, my wicked problem I’m focusing on during this course, I tried to look for companies that are helping to stop it. One that I stumbled across was named Rainforest Trust. Rainforest Trust is a company that purchases and protects the most threatened tropical forests, saving endangered wildlife through partnerships and community engagement. They give a step by step guide on how they exactly do this:

1.”We establish strategic partnerships with the world’s most experienced and committed conservationists”

2.”Together, we identify critical sites that provide a permanent refuge for endangered species.”

3.”Protection requires swift action, and we work with our partners to develop scientifically based conservation plans that are not only timely, but also resilient and sustainable.”

4. “Our partners work closely with their national governments and local communities to formally establish reserves protecting the land.”

I think this company is so great because on the website, it shows that a lot of their projects are through generous donations. This makes it so easy for people to help out this company because you can donate when you hang out at home on the couch. It is so easy for donators and at their fingertips. 

The article that I clicked on through the Rainforest Trust website, showed that Rainforest Trust worked with its local partner Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia (SCNL) to help establish the 219,609-acre Gola Forest National Park, which is only the second national park in the country. It is located in Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount counties, along the border with Sierra Leone, where the park creates a transboundary complex of protection with Sierra Leone’s Gola Rainforest National Park. Together, these two parks safeguard one of largest remaining tracks of Upper Guinea Forest and form one of the largest protected area complexes in West Africa at nearly 400,000 acres. How cool is that! Just by donations and the help of other partnering companies, they were able to establish this national park! 

Throughout this course, I have learned that the United States is not the only country that needs help with stopping deforestation, it is all countries. No matter how big or small. This article and company gave me hope that there are people who are willing to help stop deforestation or at least slow it down.