Amazonas "The most valuable Bank in the World"

Decribe your idea

Imagine the headquarters of BNP Paribas the biggest Bank in the world, worth almost 3 trillion dollars. Now imagine the entire Amazon Rainforest, and picture it as a Bank. How much is that worth? Can we put a value to the environmental services it generates? Now imagine if the BNP Bank goes bankrupt and disappears, it would be evident of the global financial crisis that we are living, but our subsistence will be at risk? Now ask yourself what would happen if the Amazon Rainforest Bank disappears? What is worth more an acre of coffee or an acre of standing forest?

Why do you want to share your idea with TEDxUChicago in 2013?

We have no time to loose! " The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. Genesis 2:15 We as a world are doing a heck of a job in working this land, but are we watching over it? We came up with a model that forms local Communal Forest Banks (just like Bank Branches) in the Rainforest and within communities that own tracts of Forest. The idea is to provide them with resources for them to live in a more sustainable way. This is relevant because for the first time individuals and/or businesses in developed economies can have their very own forest account, that provides that best return, in the form of ecological services. Ted audiences can mobilize resources and be an epicenter for innovation.

How will you share your idea in a creative way?

Try to enjoy a hot and amazingly tasty cup of coffee either without breathing or by wearing an oxygen mask. I believe that this story is not a story, is a reality and we need to check in. With testimonies from local farmers, to the amazing results of community transformation, documentaries and simple exercises like the above mentioned, ted audiences will understand the urgency of the matter. We (meaning western economies) can be a tremendous enabler in the preservation of the Tropical Rainforest ecosystem. That we all depend on.

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