It is my belief that we do not have a fundamental right to pilfer and plunder our natural world, and that what we do have is a fundamental responsibility to do what we can to protect our planet's waters, soils, air, and the diverse wildlife that we share these resources with. The former does not ensure economic prosperity for all; the latter does. When one learns that certain actions have consequences--say, that morning coffee ritual from a business that heavily uses styrofoam cups, a product that simply and effectively trashes the earth--is there not only one ethical and moral thing to do? To start buying coffee from a business that does more for the environment? Change is necessary if we care about all the generations behind us--human and wildlife alike. But change is a complicated thing.

Therein lies the conundrum.

My pledge: to embrace change, and to find solutions to the conundrum.


Monday, March 11, 2019

Palm Sugar, Palm Oil, Palm ?

Workers unload trucks of harvested oil palm fruit at the PT Perkebunan Nusantara plantation and production factory in Kertajaya, Banten Province, Indonesia, on Monday, June 20, 2011. PT Perkebunan Nusantara VIII is a state-owned palm fruit plantation and palm oil factory. Photo Credit: Dadang Tri/Bloomberg/Getty Images

A casual line in a t.v. series we're watching suggested palm sugar is a problem in the world. It's not. Palm OIL most definitely is. Did you know? Palm oil surpasses soy oil production worldwide, and most of it (~90%!) comes solely from rainforests in Indonesia and Malaysia.

It's challenging being a conscientious consumer. One has to scrutinize labels on food products (not to mention cosmetics and shampoos/soaps, etc.), and be able to decipher the varying names and chemical states that palm oil and palm kernel oil hide under. But, palm oil consumption is having a staggering effect on rainforests and wildlife--orangutans especially; I'll take peace of mind over time-consuming shopping any day.

'Orangutan Foundation International Australia' has excellent info on how to determine palm oil content when it's hidden under the guise of "vegetable oil": https://orangutanfoundation.org.au/palm-oil/

This photograph, taken on February 24, 2014 during an aerial survey mission by Greenpeace at East Kotawaringin district in Central Kalimantan province on Indonesia's Borneo Island, shows cleared trees in a forest located in the concession of Karya Makmur Abadi which is being developed for a palm oil plantation. Environmental group Greenpeace on February 26 accused US consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble of responsibility for the destruction of Indonesian rainforests and the habitat of endangered orangutans and tigers. Photo credit: Bay Ismoyo/AFP/Getty Images



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