HOBOKEN, NJ — Yesterday, the City Council of Hoboken passed unanimously an ordinance to end the city's purchases of tropical and temperate rainforest woods.

Hoboken, a mile-square city located on the New Jersey waterfront of New York Harbor, has in the past installed scores of benches made with slats of ipê, a tropical wood logged from the Brazilian Amazon.

Following the passage in June of an identical ordinance in Jersey City, just south of Hoboken, Councilman Peter Cammarano was encouraged to introduce tonight's ordinance by Rainforest Relief and Jersey City Councilman Steven Fulop, who was the sponsor of the Jersey City ordinance.

Rainforest Relief director Tim Keating spoke at the Council meeting, informing the City Council of the impacts of using rainforest wood for benches and other common municipal uses and the benefits of using recycled plastic lumber for outdoor applications.

Immediately following Keating's comments, the Council voted unanimously to pass the ordinance, aligning Hoboken with dozens of other towns and cities across the US that have resolved to limit their use of rainforest woods in some way.

To join our campaign and encourage your city or town to pass a rainforest wood resolution, email Rainforest Relief today.