Big Problem

I just read an article for my anthropology class dealing with pygmies in the Congo. When I read this article it made me so sad. These people are going to give up their ancestral land to logging companies because they need soap and salt. How horrible is that? The chief of the Pygmies did make a valid point saying that soap and salt are a necessity for them but it just doesn't seem right. Considering we know what happens when logging can go too far, we should be doing something about this by giving them some sort of alternative. It just doesn't seem fair. We know how important the rainforests are to the earth and to us whether we like to admit it or not...why can't a logging company see that? I know why...money. That's what it comes down to and thats just sad. You would think in this day and age that we would find some kind of alternative to wood. Yeah it looks nice in your home and it's sturdy but consider how many trees it took to make that piece of furniture. I'm not what you would call a tree hugger. But when it comes to stuff like this I am. It makes me so angry to know that there are other ways of making things other than wood and we still don't use them. They might not look as nice but hey you can make them look like wood. I don't know...it's just sad to me. We are really making a mess of the Earth and we've been doing it for so long that if we keep it up it's just going to keep going downhill. Yeah I know this sounds preachy and I don't intend it to be but I can't help it. It's just not right. Not only is this an issue of protecting the earth and the people in it but the Pygmies aren't to be forgotten. They're only doing what they feel is necessary to live. They don't see any other way of getting the things they need. They will lose something much more precious than mere trees, they will be losing THEIR land. The land they've lived on for years and years. It's part of their culture and history. That's something else that should be considered. It not fair that they have to give something up for something as basic as salt and soap.