An Environmental Cause - #EveryPalmMatters
There aren't many things that are close to my heart which drive me to write. Just two things - my family and the environment. I must admit that I don't exactly know how to save Earth except to reuse, reduce and recycle [Ewan's spelling list this week], cut down on plastic and encourage sustainable fishing [oh please let's start with saying no to sharks fins]. The list goes on for sure like saving water, reducing carbon footprints, use less food packaging, etc. It takes a lot of effort not to oversee such things because it is indeed troublesome to separate recyclables. Your heart has to first believe that you are making a difference to the environment, no matter how small, to motivate such a cause.
Our family wouldn't exist without this planet called Earth.
I remember when I was a teen, I went on a school excursion to Malaysia to visit a Palm Oil factory. To be honest, I cannot remember the lessons learnt from that visit. I could however vividly remember the stench. What was it that smell so bad? The palm oil itself or the burning forest?
Oil palm growers set fire to rainforests and peatlands to clear them for palm oil farming. The terrible haze [you cannot forget that] Singapore got from Indonesia was from deforestation. It chocked Southeast Asia for months! Not only that. The release of carbon into the the atmosphere caused many loss of habitat for rare rainforest species like Orang Utan and the Sumatran tiger. Up to 300 football fields of forests are cleared every hour for palm oil!
Deforestation is a global ecological problem.
I recall how I had to lock baby Ewan and myself in the home for weeks on end. We turned on the air-conditioning 24/7, air purifiers were bought, we ran from car to home/work/school just to stay indoors. The health hazards was frightening especially for a little tot. Ewan had to be nebulised halfway through one haze saga. He painted this burning forest when he was five. Perfect backdrop for the purpose of this blogpost.
NGOs such as the World Wildlife Fund mounted campaigns to highlight the loss of habitat for endangered species. With this publicity, a number of environmentally conscious businesses created products from naturally occurring rainforest resources. Ben and Jerry’s launched ‘Rainforest Crunch’ ice cream with nuts sourced from native co-operatives in the Amazonian rainforest and the Body Shop created a Rainforest Moisture Hair Butter. However, the effect of these products on slowing deforestation proved minimal.
In 2014, the four largest palm oil trading companies signed an agreement to end deforestation. One year later the situation appeared to have reversed. Leading figures in the government of Indonesia were calling upon the companies to withdraw their pledge and the 2015 fire season was the worst in nearly two decades. I am just thankfully relieved that we haven't experienced any haze in Singapore since then.
Just like the consumption of shark fins, I say if everyone put in a little effort in saying no, sharks won't have to be killed so brutally for human's pleasure [please google how sharks are being killed and dump just for their fins if you don't already know].
The palm is a global symbol of care and the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil [RSPO] is that figure for the palm oil industry because it is spearheading the continuous production of certified sustainable palm oil. We can all help to protect the planet by making better choices, which in turns cut down on the need for deforestation.
Did you know that palm oil is an ingredient which is now found in over half of all the products on supermarket shelves - from lipstick and toothpaste to biscuits and bread. 70% of brands in Malaysia and Singapore do not disclose palm oil use! So how are we going to solve this problem?
Every palm makes a difference in the world today. By choosing products made with sustainable palm oil, we are helping to protect rainforests and wildlife.
What you can do?
1. Get involved in the campaign by telling people why you care about choosing sustainable palm oil by posting a picture of your open palms and hashtag #EveryPalmMatters on Instagram or Facebook.
2. Choose products that use sustainable palm oil. I find this scorecard from the World Wildlife Fund really useful. A list of Singapore brands that support sustainable palm oil.
3. Put pressure on brands to take action and switch to sustainably produced palm oil in their supply chain.
More brands that use sustainable palm oil: Ayam Brand, IKEA, Kelloggs, L'Occitane, Ferrero, Mars, Danone, Tong Seng Produce, Cabbage Brand, Chief, New Moon, Harmuni, Mame Monster, Kallo
Oil palm growers set fire to rainforests and peatlands to clear them for palm oil farming. The terrible haze [you cannot forget that] Singapore got from Indonesia was from deforestation. It chocked Southeast Asia for months! Not only that. The release of carbon into the the atmosphere caused many loss of habitat for rare rainforest species like Orang Utan and the Sumatran tiger. Up to 300 football fields of forests are cleared every hour for palm oil!
Deforestation is a global ecological problem.
I recall how I had to lock baby Ewan and myself in the home for weeks on end. We turned on the air-conditioning 24/7, air purifiers were bought, we ran from car to home/work/school just to stay indoors. The health hazards was frightening especially for a little tot. Ewan had to be nebulised halfway through one haze saga. He painted this burning forest when he was five. Perfect backdrop for the purpose of this blogpost.
NGOs such as the World Wildlife Fund mounted campaigns to highlight the loss of habitat for endangered species. With this publicity, a number of environmentally conscious businesses created products from naturally occurring rainforest resources. Ben and Jerry’s launched ‘Rainforest Crunch’ ice cream with nuts sourced from native co-operatives in the Amazonian rainforest and the Body Shop created a Rainforest Moisture Hair Butter. However, the effect of these products on slowing deforestation proved minimal.
Just like the consumption of shark fins, I say if everyone put in a little effort in saying no, sharks won't have to be killed so brutally for human's pleasure [please google how sharks are being killed and dump just for their fins if you don't already know].
The palm is a global symbol of care and the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil [RSPO] is that figure for the palm oil industry because it is spearheading the continuous production of certified sustainable palm oil. We can all help to protect the planet by making better choices, which in turns cut down on the need for deforestation.
Did you know that palm oil is an ingredient which is now found in over half of all the products on supermarket shelves - from lipstick and toothpaste to biscuits and bread. 70% of brands in Malaysia and Singapore do not disclose palm oil use! So how are we going to solve this problem?
Every palm makes a difference in the world today. By choosing products made with sustainable palm oil, we are helping to protect rainforests and wildlife.
"SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL
IS THE SOLUTION!"
What you can do?
1. Get involved in the campaign by telling people why you care about choosing sustainable palm oil by posting a picture of your open palms and hashtag #EveryPalmMatters on Instagram or Facebook.
2. Choose products that use sustainable palm oil. I find this scorecard from the World Wildlife Fund really useful. A list of Singapore brands that support sustainable palm oil.
3. Put pressure on brands to take action and switch to sustainably produced palm oil in their supply chain.
More brands that use sustainable palm oil: Ayam Brand, IKEA, Kelloggs, L'Occitane, Ferrero, Mars, Danone, Tong Seng Produce, Cabbage Brand, Chief, New Moon, Harmuni, Mame Monster, Kallo
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A stay at home mum, blogging to widen her social life.
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