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Plastic Corks Boycott

"The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is urging its million members to boycott plastic corks," according to the Guardian Weekly newspaper.
The cork oak reportedly is unique in that it regrows its bark, providing a sustainable industry for small farmers. The cork oaks in Spain and Portugal, which provide 80 percent of the world's cork. also are important habitat for 42 different species of birds, including migrants and such vulnerable species such as the Spanish imperial eagle, black stork, and black vulture.
The Royal Society fears that the use of plastic corks in the wine industry will render the natural cork business non-viable and result in the cutting down of cork groves. Plastic stoppers have already captured one percent of the world market and three percent in the United Kingdom.
"Cork oaks take 30 years to grow big enough to be productive and once they are cut down are unlikely to be replaced because farmers will turn to cash crops like sunflowers and fast-growing trees like eucalyptus," the Guardian Weekly reports.
The clipping was provided to the Leaves by Claire Shurvinton, Madrone representative to the Sonoma County Conservation Council.