THE IMPORTANCE OF WOOD IN OUR LIVES
WOOD is one of the earth’s most versatile and probably most familiar natural raw material and the important role it plays in our daily lives often goes unnoticed. Each day millions of people around the world derive their livelihoods working with wood. The quality of our lives has been greatly enhanced because of this wonderful resource.
ITS MYRIAD OF USES is staggering. Wood, in its easy to recognise natural state provides us with furniture, building components, musical instruments, sporting equipment, household utensils, etc. In its altered (processed) form its role is not so obvious, yet it is there, under the guise of paper, fabric, glue, alcohol, rubber, food medicine, etc.
IN MANY DEVELOPING COUNTRIES fuelwood is the major source of energy, supplying as much as 97% of total consumption. Already millions of people in Africa experience dreadful hardship on a daily basis in their search for fuelwood just to boil water to render it suitable for drinking. Over the coming years 3 billion people worldwide will face acute fuelwood shortages as this dwindling resource dissappears from traditional fuelwood sources.
Click here...to see a Larger Image "Degraded environments contribute to absenteeism. More time spent collecting firewood and water means less time in school." Irish Aid- Key Sheet #07-Environment and Education.
FOR CENTURIES native Irish grown wood was the only wood available to the artisan, and those involved in all aspects of construction. In recent years that trend has changed. For well over 150 years Ireland has been a major importer of exquisite tropical woods-our main supplies coming from African countries.
THAT SUPPLY OF TROPICAL WOOD IS RAPIDLY COMING TO AN END with what can only be described as further devastating ecological, environmental, climatic and humanitarian consequences such as have already been experienced in the Philippines and elsewhere.
OUR ATTITUDE towards wood/trees needs to undergo drastic re-appraisal now if this great life enhancing resource is to continue to be of benefit to all of mankind.
THE PURPOSE OF THE ‘WOOD OF LIFE’ EXHIBITION is to heighten awareness of the implicit role wood/trees play in our lives – from the man or woman who works with wood here in Ireland for a living, to the African and others, who need it merely to survive. We also hope it may guide society towards a more responsible stewardship of this finite resource before it’s too late.
