Avon pledges "green" in palm oil use[/caption]If you are someone who likes cookies, crackers and cakes or you use cosmetics, recent news details concerns that palm oil, a chief ingredient found in many of these products is produced in ways that are destructive to the environment.
Friends of the Earth has published news information related to palm oil planttions in Jakarta, Indonesia. The article first points out that the claim of plantations as forest-friendly activity is incorrect, when in fact these plantations are a large part of the problem of deforestation in Asia. And the production of palm oil in these, and on similar plantations, is in large part responsible for the deforestation that negatively impacts climate change.
Palm oil is found in about half of all cosmetics and the foods mentioned, here along with others. That's because it is relatively cheap to produce. Friends of the Earth asks consumers to be aware of palm oil and reduce purchasing products with it, while at the same time exploring alternatives that are not destructive to the environment.
Environmentalists tell us to look for products that are certified as having sustainable palm oil. These are referred to as CSPO and often can be found in packaging.
In the meantime, if you can't find a CSPO certified product, an organization out of Australia that advocates for orangutans, whose population is being decimated from deforestation, offers a list of products that can help you buy responsibly. Another group that says we should say no to palm oil, offers a list of some of the products containing palm oil.
And for home baking, given the problems of palm oil with respect to temperature variations and other issues, the American Heart Association has this list of liquid butter alternatives.
