The tropical rainforests of the world are under threat. They are being destroyed at the rate of 6 million hectares per year -- that's an area the size of a football pitch every four seconds. Imagine that, while you're reading this sentence, a football pitch patch of rainforest has disappeared.

If we continue this rate of destruction, within several generations, the largest rainforest in the world -- the Amazon -- will be gone. And with it, the source of much potential medicine, biodiversity and a massive carbon sink that acts as the lungs of the world. If we lose that, we lose the fight against catastrophic climate change.

So what can we do? Save the Amazon Rainforest Organisation raises money for projects that are sustainable within the rainforest: enabling indigenous people to remain in the forest and stopping the march of illegal logging and slash and burn.

Join us in our latest project, BUY THE BEES, which buys stingless bees for local people to make honey, that they can sell.

And in doing so sign up to our mission to promote and support the protection and the conservation of the Amazon Rainforest, the world's most precious resource.

STARO are delighted to announce that they are one of 6 charities and projects chosen by Coolaworld, which is a planet-saving shopping and carbon coaching website launched recently in the UK. 

Just like wind, water and sunshine can be harnessed to create cleaner, sustainable energy; the billions of pounds spent shopping on the Internet every year can be converted into planet-saving projects at the click of a mouse.

With over a hundred household names and retailers to choose from, including APPLE, HARRODS, EUROSTAR, JOHN LEWIS, VODAFONE and NEXT, COOLAWORLD rewards online shoppers with COOL CREDITS that they can donate to STARO or spend on low-carbon goods and services. 

The innovative portal, which uses technology similar to that used by AIRMILES and NECTAR POINTS, also has free guidelines for people who want to "cool" the CO2 emissions. Alternatively, people can use their COOL CREDITS to buy low-carbon products such as digital music and video, or to buy online magazines; the idea being to gradually change their behaviour without turning them off the notion of low-carbon living.

Register free for your coolapoints at www.coolaworld.com, and start helping STARO now!

CHICO MENDES DOCUMENTARY

BBC World Service 'Living with Chico Mendes' STARO is pleased to have been involved with this extraordinary programme Tune in now to the BBC Podcast at

 www.bbc.co.uk./worldservice/documentaries/index.shtml.

Thank you!

Thanks to all at Grey London for their incredible support for our work

Please visit our Myspace page at www.myspace.com/_staro