Disney Brings Conservation Efforts in Peru to U.S. Parks and Resorts

Since its earliest days, The Walt Disney Company has been committed to protecting the environment and conserving the planet for generations to come. As part of that legacy, Disney has set environmental stewardship targets and is striving toward the goal of attaining a “zero” state of net greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2009, the Company established the Disney Climate Solutions Fund (DCSF) to support forest conservation, management and regeneration around the globe. The DCSF, which is funded by our businesses to offset the greenhouse gas emissions they generate, has supported projects in the United States, China, Mexico and Peru—where Disney’s efforts are leading the way in demonstrating the tremendous potential of tropical forests to tackle climate change while generating benefits for local communities and protecting biodiversity within the region.

Disney supports the nonprofit environmental organization Conservation International’s (CI) efforts to reduce deforestation in Peru’s Alto Mayo Protected Forest. This forest spans 450,000 acres, roughly twice the size of New York City and is the source of water for more than 240,000 people in the region. Through this project, local coffee farmers were introduced to sustainable farming methods which would increase productivity and improve the quality of the coffee bean. The success of this program is easy to see with more standing trees in the forest, and  greater income for the farmers for their premium coffee.

“In order to protect this ecologically important area from degradation, it’s essential to support communities who rely on the forest. This unique opportunity to connect farmers to a new business partnership is an innovative way to ensure their long-term success, and hence the long-term success of our conservation efforts,” said Kevin Callahan, vice president of Corporate Citizenship.

Today Disney announced that guests visiting its U.S. Parks and Resorts will now be able to support these conservation efforts in Peru with the introduction of the organic, fair-trade Alto Mayo Protected Forest Coffee roasted by Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company at select restaurants at the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts, as well as online through Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company.

In this video from the Disney Parks Blog, learn more about Disney’s conservation efforts in the Alto Mayo forest, and about the coffee that is changing the lives of the people who live there: