Bob McDonnell Used Your Tax Dollars to Lure Company Accused of Destroying Tiger Habitat

by: TheGreenMiles

Thu Feb 23, 2012 at 08:50:28 AM EST

By some estimates, the world is losing 50 million acres of tropical rainforest a year -- an area double the size of Virginia. On the Indonesian island of Sumatra, much of the destruction has been traced to a Chinese Company called Asia Pulp and Paper or APP.  The family that owns APP also owns and supplies Mercury Paper -- a company that moved to Virginia after [Gov. McDonnell] offered a $250,000 incentive to relocate from California. APP was recently singled out by Greenpeace, when laboratory analysis showed its paper towels, cardboard and toilet paper were made from rainforest trees. [...]

The company points proudly to a sanctuary it established for critically endangered tigers, but World Wildlife's Jan Vertefeuille says APP's taking down that rainforest too: "We found out, through satellite imagery, that APP was clearing part of its own tiger sanctuary. They had told the government that they were going to protect this area, and they were actually clear cutting it."

So what are the products you should make sure to avoid, what products should you buy instead, and which stores are supporting WWF's efforts?