PALM BREAK 2012. Keep Forests Standing with your Grocery Store Decisions.

Palm Break- n. A four day event Starting May 14th with a Palm Oil Fact-a-thon and then The Break, May 15-17 when you take a break from different types of products with palm oil in them, to show you know which of the products and brands you know and love have palm oil in them in a quest to become a more Forest Friendly Consumer

For Everything you need to GET STARTED, Check out the Suitcase:

www.forestjustice.org/palmbreaksuitcase

Here’s the breakdown:

Check out the Palm Break Calendar (www.forestjustice.org/calendar)
Check out the Menu? (www.forestjustice.org/menu)
Wait? There’s more than one name for Palm Oil on an Ingredient list? (www.forestjustice.org/ppp)
Want to show your friends you’re participating in Palm Break? Download our Cover Pictures and Badges! (www.forestjustice.org/badge)

Are you IN?

But first, Can the choices you make in the grocery store really help keep forests standing? You Bet!

WHY AM I TAKING A BREAK FROM PALM OIL?

SO these products below, what do they have to do with forests? What do all of them have in common?

Very simply: Palm oil is in ingredient in all of them.

Most of us are not aware of the palm oil we consume daily, but in reality about half of all packaged foods and cosmetics contain palm oil. Check out the compilation of products above: tip of the iceberg. This graphic is just so you can get an idea of how many different types of products have palm oil in them. During Palm Break, you’re going to find out that a lot of foods, drinks, cosmetics, personal goods (ie soaps, shampoos, etc) and household goods (cleaners, detergent, etc) that you know, love and use have palm oil in them.

So it’s an ingredient used in a lot of products. What’s the Big Deal? And Why am I going on a Palm Break May 14-17?

THE PALM OIL-FOREST CONNECTION

Credit: Wakx/Flickr- Clearing of oil palm plantations in Indonesia- See that above? That's a Palm Oil Plantation, where the oil palm tree (kind've looks like a short palm tree) is typically grown. And these trees don't naturally sprout up on their own in these areas- they are planted and grown on large areas of land, called plantations. But these huge amounts of land land do not appear magically, Thousands of Acres yearly of Tropical Forests and Peatlands have to be cleared, cut down, burned, etc., in order to make space for these crops. And because there is such a large demand for this oil, Palm Oil Plantations are currently the Largest Driver of rapid clear-cutting and destruction of primary rainforests in Southeast Asia (mostly Indonesia and Malaysia).

Does this affect Global Warming? Absolutely, when you cut down forests, not only are these trees no longer absorbing carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen, but the carbon that used to be stored inside these trees is now being given off too. Peatlands, are also commonly cleared to grow these plantations (Peat is essentially made out of thousands of years of decomposed packed-together vegetation which is essentially a HUGE carbon dioxide locker, so long as it remians untouched, the carbon is contained. However as soon as you burn it – well, that’s the equivalent of opening the locker and everything spilling out) So BOTH tropical forests and peatlands are routinely cleared to make more land available to feed growing demand for palm oil from around the world (not just the U.S. and EU, but China, India, etc).

So for those keeping track we have: Forests being cut down, habitat loss, carbon dioxide being released in huge amounts and not being absorbed, and there are also known reports of unfair labor practices/slavery on these plantations.

Could it get much worse? Sure.

Credit: Wakx/Flickr- And you thought clearing forests gave off a lot of greenhouse gases? Clearing peatlands gives off an EVEN LARGER amount of Carbon than just forests, and yet these areas are still regularly cleared to grow the plantations.

It’s not only forests that are falling, but we have to think about what this means for the the many animals and plants, many of whom are ALREADY endangered, when their homes are destroyed to grow these plantations.

Orangutans and Sumatran Tigers are just two of many endangered animals living within these forests in Indonesia and Malaysia who are threatened by the increasing rates of deforestation. If not killed, during the initial clearing of the forest, many of these animals wander into plantations, where they are then seen as pests, and are typically captured if not killed. Bottom line: Palm Oil may grow on trees, but these are NOT suitable homes for the animals who typically live in the forest!

And those who are rescued? Once they are healed and ready to returned to the wild, there is increasingly LESS and LESS forest to reintroduce them into!

What are we Going to do About it?

STEP 1: GO ON PALM BREAK. By going on this Break, you’re going to see that Palm Oil is in so many of the products we know and love (or maybe it’s not, the only true way to know is to participate!).

AND HERE IS THE BEST PART: WE ARE NOT ASKING YOU TO TAKE A PERMANENT BREAK FROM THESE PRODUCTS!!!

Palm oil DOES NOT have to be grown at the expense of tropical forests. In fact businesses can choose to buy palm oil grown on non-forest lands, from producers with strong environmental and social standards—that’s why they need to hear from people like you! Every company that changes their policies to ensure that their palm oil is deforestation-free will help protect tropical forests.

Palm Break is the first step to being on the path of being a Forest-Friendly Shopper. You’re going to encounter a lot of products and brands that you use which have palm oil in them. Write them down! Check them out? Are they doing anything to make sure they use sustainable palm oil in their products? If they’re not, get it touch with us! We can let you know how you can let these companies know:

I love your products, I want to keep using them, but I want you to be Forest-Friendly and source sustainable palm oil!

Want to get Started Now?

Check out this cool action by Union of Concerned Scientists where they are asking The Coca Cola Company to have a policy which shows that a) they know about the palm oil – forest connection and b) they’re going to start working towards doing something to make the palm oil they use more Forest Friendly!