Friends of the Chocó was founded by Austin real estate investor, environmentalist, and philanthropist Brian Rodgers. Brian is a Home Depot shareholder and a long-time
company customer. He’s also an avid bird watcher. He was visiting Ecuador in 2018 on a birding trip when he saw firsthand the logging and destruction of the magnificent rainforest.
From Brian:
“At that time, I discovered that these old-growth logs were sourced by Home Depot to manufacture the company’s Sandeply. I brought my concerns to Home Depot’s Sustainability VP Ron Jarvis. Despite my attempt to get Mr. Jarvis to investigate the
situation, Home Depot did nothing.
It’s been four years. The forest has continued to be decimated. I felt like I had to take action. If not now, when? If not me who?
So with like-minded friends, I established Friends of the Chocó LLC and we launched this campaign at our own expense. We have no agenda other than getting Home Depot to stop the deforestation of old-growth forest.”