Speak Up!

You ever hear of an “elevator speech?” That’s what they call a 30 second summary of who you are: the idea is that if someone says “what do you do?” in an elevator, you can give them the nutshell between floors.

I would often answer with something like “I’m in international trade compliance for the wood flooring industry,” and in the old days, people would yawn, and say “that’s nice,” and turn away. These days they turn towards me with enthusiastic interest and I get a response like “Wow, international trade?! What do you think of the trade war?”

Well now you have a chance to tell the government what YOU think of the trade war. The Hardwood Federation has set up a contact form to make it easy for you. You fill in your details and the system takes your zip code and zaps the message out to your representatives. See below how easy it is:

Do you hate the tariffs? Do you love them? How do you feel about the general state of chaos? You can express your feelings here.

Also, mark your calendars for the Federation’s Fly-In, Sept 11-13. Come to town and learn more about the political process and industry activism. Meet your representatives and also the industry leadership. Your involvement is vital. I’ve blogged before about one of my favorite quotes: Decisions are made by those who show up. So Speak up! Show up!

Elizabeth Baldwin is Environmental Compliance Officer for Metropolitan Hardwood Floors. In her 25 plus year career in the wood industry has visited over 70 countries and hundreds of facilities of all sizes and types. She describes herself as a “jack of all wood trades.” Familiar with jungles of all sorts–having camped out along the Amazon and walked the halls of Congress–she blogs for the NWFA on both environmental and regulatory issues for educational and informational purposes only. Her blog is not intended and should not be construed as legal advice. Persons seeking legal advice on compliance with CARB, TSCA, the U.S. Lacey Act or any other law, regulation, or compliance requirement/claim should consult with the regulatory agency directly and/or a qualified legal professional.

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