Fresh from our meeting with Sr. Executives at Weyerhaeuser, Gloria, Maria and Warren are all smiles. We’re in the van that’s taken the group more than 3500 miles from their home to the sprawling corporate campus of the world’s biggest lumber company.

We were greeted on our arrival by Cassie Phillips, VP for Sustainability. She escorted us to a small conference room where we met Ernesta Ballard, Sr. VP of Corporate Affairs and Frank Mendozobal, the company’s ubiquitous Spokesman.

The cultural distance was palpable. The team from Weyerhaeuser, in their pressed suits, attempting pleasantries like “I hope the traffic wasn’t too bad”; and the team from Grassy Narrows, in their jeans and jackets, sitting solemnly across the table, waiting patiently to speak their truth.

Gloria spoke of the prophecies of the elders who warned of the day when traditional medicines would hurt instead of heal. Warren spoke of the clear-cuts that robbed the youth of Grassy Narrows of the cultural traditions of their parents. Mariah explained how decades of mercury poisoning contaminated the fish she used to feed her family. In each of their stories, their demands were clearcut: “stop the clear cutting that is hurting our people”

“I understand that we live a very different life than you” said Mariah, “but try to imagine life in our shoes. We hope that you’ll listen to our stories with your heart, and not just let them pass from one ear to the other.

After an hour of listening, Ernesta thanked the group and promised to report on our visit with Weyerhaeuser’s executive team. We hope that they’ll listen with their hearts and honor the community’s unflinching demand for an end to clear-cut logging.

Until they do, we’ll continue to shine a light on the truths spoken by our friends from Grassy Narrows. Tomorrow morning, we arrive at the BuiltGreen Expo in Everett. BuiltGreen is a regional green building program developed by the King County’s Master Builder Association. It’s a good program, but they’ve chosen the wrong company to honor with their annual award. That company is Quadrant Homes, a wholly owned subsidiary of Weyerhaeuser, who builds luxury with the same wood products manufactured from the forests of Grassy Narrows.

We’ll be outside the conference educating green builders and presenting Quadrant with our own award: Best Actor in an environmental role.