Citizens in industrialized countries have a unique role to play in saving the world's forests. As the largest consumers of wood and paper on the planet, decisions we make determine the direction of the international wood products industry and ultimately the fate of the forests.

It is important to work at changing both our own personal lives and the larger society. In our own lives we can make a point of learning more about the threats to our planet, reducing the amount of garbage we throw away and ensuring that products we buy are as green as possible.

To change industrialized society, we need to become active participants in the fight for the rainforests. Protecting nature has become a very strong modern value and this can be translated into social pressure by both individual and collective action. Neither governments nor corporations take strong environmental stands unless the public demands that they do.

People who commit some of their time to writing letters, boycotting companies and attending events are the true heroes in the campaign to protect the Earth. It may seem that you are too small to make a difference but nothing could be further from the truth. Joining your voice with others in a concerted public campaign is the most important thing you can do.

In America, Burger King used beef from farms that had been made by destroying rainforest, because it was cheap. But so many people protested, and stopped buying their hamburgers, that they had to change, and they no longer buy this meat.