The 5th 50 mile "Race For The Rainforest" to Benefit Katrina Recovery Effort

The 50 mile Race for the Rainforest was founded to raise awareness of the disastrous consequences of the destruction of the rainforests and to generate donations for organizations that are actively working to protect our remaining rainforests and the indigenous people who inhabit them. The 5th edition of this race has an added significance.

[USPRwire, Tue Oct 24 2006] BayouHerbs.com and race founder Steve Morrow are pleased to announce the 5th Annual 50 Mile Race for the Rainforest, set for 5:00 a.m. on December 9th, 2006. The race will again consist of 25 2-mile loops through beautiful Audubon Park in New Orleans, LA.

This race was originally scheduled for November 6th, 2005, but was postponed several times due to the destruction and aftermath from Hurricane Katrina.

The purpose of the race, as always, is to raise awareness of the devastating consequences of the destruction of earth's most important ecosystem, the rainforest, and to solicit financial pledges to organizations actively involved in protecting the rainforests and the indigenous people who inhabit them. However, this year, the race is also dedicated to the home of the Race for the Rainforest, the city of New Orleans.

As rainforest destruction is a major contributor to global warming, which in turn likely intensified the power of Hurricane Katrina, it is fitting that New Orleans, which will bear the scars from Katrina for decades, should be an annual beneficiary of the Race for the Rainforest.

As in the past, there is no entry fee, however donations to one or both of our designated beneficiaries would be greatly appreciated.

There will be awards for the male and female winners in the Open and Masters divisions. All finishers will receive a 2006 commemorative organic cotton "Race for the Rainforest" T-Shirt. All 5:00 am starters who complete at least 5 loops but do not finish the race will receive a commemorative T-Shirt from one of the previous 50-mile races.

The race is seeking sponsors to pledge donations to our two beneficiaries, "Rainforest Relief" (http://www.rainforestrelief.org/) and the "New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund" (http://www.nomhrf.org/). All sponsors will be recognized on the official race website: (http://www.RaceForTheRainforest.com) with up to 5 80-character lines of text and an active link to the sponsor’s G-Rated website.

At the current rate of traffic (300+ unique visits daily) each sponsor would receive approximately two months of exposure on the official race website for every $20 donated to "Rainforest Relief" or the "New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund".


The importance of the rainforests, the “lungs of the Earth”, to the health of this planet cannot be overstated:

* Over half of Earth's living species live in the rainforests.

* 20% of the world's oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest.

* Two-thirds of Earth's fresh water is in the Amazon River basin.

* 70% of the plants found to be active against cancers come from rainforests.

* Over 120 prescription drugs and up to 40% of all pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest plants.


Rainforests once covered 15% of the earth's land surface; they now cover 6%. In less than 50 years, more than half of the world's tropical rainforests have been destroyed, and the rate of destruction is still accelerating. Over 200,000 acres of rainforest are destroyed every day.

Some areas of tropical rainforest have escaped glaciation for 65 million years. This has allowed these forests to develop an array of life unmatched in any other ecosystem on Earth.

Presently, less than 3% of an estimated 300,000 rainforest plant species have even been studied by scientists. One species, the Madagascar Periwinkle (now extinct in the wild), increased the survival rate of children with leukemia from 20% to 80%.

A seemingly endless list of facts scream the importance of saving the world's remaining rainforests. If we act today, our world and the world we pass on to our children can be a healthier, better place for all of us.

For more information, contact:
Steve Morrow
Race Founder and Director
The Race For The Rainforest
877-217-6223
rainforest@ureach.com
http://www.RaceForTheRainforest.com

Bookmark this release: Del.icio.us - Digg - Furl - Blinklist - Reddit