ECO-guitar donation seized at Dublin Airport
Conservationist strikes wrong chord with Customs at Dublin Airport -first FSC-certified guitar to enter Ireland is confiscated by Airport Customs.
20th May 2011
A grueling bus and plane trip that took Tom Roche founder of Rhode-based forest conservation organisation Just Forests, to the Martin Guitar Company in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, to collect a donation of a guitar ends in disappointment. On his arrival from New York today Mr Roche had the guitar taken from him at Dublin Airport by Customs Officials. Mr Roche has expressed great disappointment at the development as the generous donation by C.F. Martin’s CEO Mr Chris Martin, was to be used by Just Forests to raise funds to develop an education program that would see all musical instruments used in Ireland being made of ‘tonewoods’ from responsibly managed forests worldwide.
According to Mr Roche, “Over eighty of the estimated 200 wood species used to make musical instruments worldwide are on the brink of extinction and bringing this FSC-certified guitar into Ireland was part of our plan to engage the music industry with our education program.”
Martin Guitars have taken their environmental responsibilities seriously by starting to source FSC-certified wood for their musical instruments. Just Forests were awarded the guitar by Martins in recognition of their work on linking our love of music to our dependence on forests for the wood for our beautiful musical instruments-through our Sound of Wood Project.
“Our plan was to invite Bono and The Edge of U-2 fame to endorse this FSC-certified guitar and the significant social, economic and environmental message of hope it has for musicians, musical instrument-makers and indeed all lovers of music”, according to Roche.
ENDS.
Notes To Editors.
PICTURE OF PRESENTATION AVAILABLE FROM TOM ROCHE 086 8049389
http://www.youtube.com/cfmartinguitar
http://thesoundofwood.com
http://justmusic.ie
Attached picture:
Picture of Mr. Chris Martin, CEO of C.F. Martin Guitars, Inc, Nazareth, Pennsylvania, presenting me (Tom Roche) founder of Just Forests with a D-Dreadnought SWGDT model acoustic/electric guitar at the company’s HQ in Nazareth on Thursday 12th May 2011. The presentation marks Martin’s donation to Just Forests work on linking our love of music to our dependence on ‘tonewoods’ for our beautiful musical instruments. 2011 is the United Nations-designated International Year of Forests (IYF-2011) and governments/corporations worldwide are being asked to highlight the significance of forests to our survival.
Friday 20th May 2011 - Irish Independent article
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/conservationists-plans-axed-as-ecoguitar-seized-2652816.html
