Martin Guitar Joins The Rainforest Alliance #FollowTheFrog Campaign To Raise Awareness Of Forest Sustainability

NEW YORK, Aug. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- To raise awareness of the importance of sustainable wood sourcing, Martin Guitar has announced it is teaming up with the Rainforest Alliance on a public engagement campaign, #FollowTheFrog.  The multi-phase campaign, which launches today, will use Martin's social media platforms, Martin Ambassador James Valentine of Maroon 5, and public events to drive attention to Martin's longstanding commitment to the environment and its collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance for over two decades to protect precious forests through the practices of responsible forest management.

The multi-faceted Martin Guitar activities kick off the next Rainforest Alliance annual Follow the Frog campaign, which engages companies and consumers in the sustainability mission and communicates the positive impact of products that carry the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal. Martin Guitar is proud to begin its engagement with #FollowTheFrog today and will launch the 2nd phase in early 2017, when the Rainforest Alliance will commence its 30th anniversary year with full global Follow the Frog activation.

As part of the campaign, Martin will chronicle the manufacturing of a guitar, certified by the Rainforest Alliance for meeting the strict standards of the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®).  FSC-certified guitars must comply with the most rigorous social and environmental standards on the market, including using woods from forests where ecosystems, wildlife and communities are protected.

Martin Guitar's multiple social media platforms and corporate website will allow people to #FollowTheFrog throughout the journey of the instrument's production, from conception to the final stage of adorning it with the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal, featuring the organization's iconic tree frog inside the guitar.

When ready in early 2017, the finished guitar will be given to Martin Ambassador James Valentine, lead guitarist of the multi-platinum selling rock band Maroon 5, who will lead Phase 2 of the Martin Guitar #FollowTheFrog campaign, which will serve as an exciting key element of the global Rainforest Alliance Follow the Frog campaign.

"Martin has been deeply committed to environmental responsibility in a variety of ways for many decades, but as the world's premiere manufacturer of acoustic guitars, wood sustainability is of particular concern for us," said Chris Martin IV, Chairman and CEO, Martin Guitar.  "It's important to us and it's important to our customers that we operate in a way that ensures we will have healthy forests around the world for many generations to come.  We're proud to team up with an organization as respected as the Rainforest Alliance to help us continue to achieve this mission."

"By working with collaborating companies like Martin Guitar, who share our vision, we are able to promote the responsible management of forests to benefit communities, wildlife and the environment," said Nigel Sizer, President of the Rainforest Alliance.  "The Martin Guitar #FollowTheFrog campaign is a wonderful way for people to get an inside look at what it really means to source wood responsibly, in a way that helps people and the planet. With the global challenges of climate change and deforestation we currently face, sustainable wood sourcing has never been more important."

The first phase of the campaign will feature special messaging on both Martin Guitar's and the Rainforest Alliance's digital platforms, as well as informational booths hosted by the Rainforest Alliance and Martin Guitar at key music festivals. To learn more about the campaign, please visit www.martinguitar.com/followthefrog.

About Martin Guitar & Martin Strings

C.F. Martin & Co.® (www.martinguitar.com) has been creating the finest instruments in the world for 183 years.  It continues to innovate, introducing techniques and features that have become industry standards, including X-bracing, the 14-fret guitar and the "Dreadnought" size. One of the world's leading acoustic instrument makers, Martin guitars are hand-made by skilled craftsmen and women, who use a combination of new design and techniques, along with those introduced by the company founder.

The company is also known for producing high-quality, popular acoustic guitar strings.  These include the successful Martin SP® LIFESPAN® the fastest-growing treated string in the industry, the exciting new Retro® Strings line played and loved by Tony Rice and Laurence Juber and the Martin SP line, which uses an industry leading core wire to hold tunings better.

Martin guitars and Martin strings are the instruments and strings of choice for musicians around the world, from the icons of rock, pop, country, folk and bluegrass to those just beginning their careers.  They can be seen across all segments of pop culture, from television to movies, Broadway, books, online, and gracing the covers of popular magazines on newsstands everywhere. Connect with Martin and Martin Strings on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube and via www.martinguitar.com and www.martinstrings.com.

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ABOUT THE RAINFOREST ALLIANCE

The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization that has worked for nearly 30 years around the world to conserve forests and natural resources while advancing sustainable livelihoods. The Rainforest Alliance collaborates with foresters, farmers, businesses and workers to build healthy communities, protect habitat, and rebalance the Earth, working towards the vision of a world where planet and people prosper together. To learn more about the Rainforest Alliance, visit www.rainforest-alliance.org. 

SOURCE C. F. Martin & Co.

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