(Atlanta, Georgia, USA) the environmental group International Rivers picked up a large canvas yesterday morning during the meeting of shareholders of The Home Depot in Atlanta, which contained the Dam Home Depot message (dam to Home Depot). The NGO representatives also ingresarona the annual meeting of shareholders to participate in the session of questions and answers. The Organization protests over the purchase by the company of timber products to the Matte Group (which is controller of CMPC, The Home Depot suppliers), which is involved through its electric Colbun in the proposal to build five large dams in the two most pristine rivers of Patagonia, in the South of Chile. Dams, reservoirs and their associated transmission lines arruinarian watershed, flooded scarce forests at risk and destroy an indigenous lifestyle of the place. We are demanding American consumers to stop shopping at The Home Depot until they stop purchasing disputed timber products originating from economic interests that threaten to destroy rivers and Chilean forests said Gary Graham Hughes, Coordinator of the Patagonia campaign of International Rivers. The company has many alternatives to buy forest products, and Chile has abundant energy options, which can even transform it into a global power in solar, geothermal and wind power, as they have recognised specialists.
In addition to the action of protest at the annual meeting in Atlanta, there have been demonstrations outside stores of the chain of retail home in different local through the States of the Western United States. And in the last year, thousands of consumers have written your executives communicating that already they will not make purchases in the chain until The Home Depot take steps to distance itself from the controversy. Environmental NGOs in United States have demanded him to the company to take specific actions. Even funds investment socially responsible major in the United States have insisted on obtain a response from the company citing the risk that imply him to be dragged into this conflict, which harms the Green reputation that characterizes it.