Senior Ashoka Fellow Willie Smits says yes! Last Thursday, Wille Smits talked at the Ashoka office in Washington, DC about how his palm sugar factory in Indonesia can use sugar palm to generate energy, create sugar and protect the rainforests. To many he is known as the “guy who is saving orangutans”, and while that is true, his work is much more complicated than that. Having worked for years in the forests and trying to rebuild orangutan populations across Indonesia, Willie now is focusing not only on rebuilding the natural habitat of orangutans but also helping local people find better options to survive. In 2007 he opened the first palm-sugar factory that uses thermal energy to turn sugar palms into sugar and ethanol. At the same time, he is providing local communities alternatives and incentives to protect the forests by processing sugar palm juice. Local migrants join a cooperative and sign a declaration that in return for the processing of their palm juice they will no longer take timber from protected forests and will instead protect the local wildlife. Using a local justice system within the cooperative, Willie has achieved both economic and political legitimacy. Villagers participating have a 2.5 times higher salary than their average peers and the democratic process within the cooperative is building trust throughout the community thus reducing violence and corruption.

By returning cash, control and power to local villagers, Willie has found a way to create more stable communities, reduce corruption and restore ecosystems around the world. Colombia is now one of the top new countries interested in adapting Willie’s model. If you want to find out more about how Willie Smits is saving our planet watch his Ted Talk or read his profile on the Ashoka website.

1st March 2010
By Arron Hendy
Source: Dorset Echo

AROUND 400 protesters marched on Portland to vent their fury at plans for a new power plant.

Families from the island were joined by climate change campaigners from around the country to voice their anger at the proposed new biofuel plant on the island.

“We don’t want a power plant, come and join us, sing our chant,” was the song ringing out through Fortuneswell to the sound of drums.

The traffic was stopped by police as the crowd made its way from Portland Heights to Portland Port.

W4B Renewable Energy has been given the go-ahead by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council to build the multi-million pound palm oil power plant at the port.

But the marchers are hoping to persuade the Government to overturn the decision after Bristol City Council voted against W4B having a plant in Avonmouth.

Ros Kayes, the Liberal Democrat’s prospective parliamentary candidate for South Dorset, said the size of the crowd showed the strong feeling of residents.

She added: “We’ve written to the Secretary of State for Communities John Denham.

“He has the power to revoke this decision if it’s in the national interests and it’s a nationally and globally important issue.”

At the end of the march outside the locked gates to the port campaigners took it in turns to address the crowd.

Weymouth resident Ruth Neary told them the plant should be stopped as she claimed the fumes created could cause cancer and birth defects.

Portland town councillor Richard Denton-White said the power plant should be stopped ‘whatever it takes’.

He said: “W4B said there were going to be five people here. It’s more like 500,” he said.

Fortuneswell resident Carolyn Colmer, 48, is concerned that her nine-year-old daughter Jade’s school, Underhill Junior School, will look out onto the plant in Balaclava Bay.

She said: “I hope the huge support has some effect.”

Fortuneswell shoppers stopped in their tracks and some joined the walk, while drivers honked their horns.

The group No Oil Palm Energy (Nope) distributed leaflets stating that the burning of 30,000 tonnes of palm oil each year to produce electricity could affect health, and the creation of the oil will come at the expense of Indonesian rainforests.

Among the campaigners visiting Dorset was Zenith Milner from London, dressed as an orangutan – an endangered species.

She said: “The turnout shows the strength of opposition against this catastrophic proposal. It’s vital the decision is overturned for the good of local people and the rainforests, including its tribal people and endangered animals.”

Brian Heatley, the Green Party parliamentary candidate for South Dorset, called on the crowd to write to South Dorset MP Jim Knight to use his influence in Government.

Orangutans Need Forests, Not Palm Oil Plantations

Jakarta – The Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP) urges Mr. Zulkifli Hasan, the Ministry Forestry to abort a bill for ministry regulation which redefines palm oil plantations as forests. Although minister of forestry has guaranteed that it will not lead to massive forest conversion, to become palm oil plantations, and been preparing mosaic concept to redesign areas for palm oil plantations within plant forests, it will not be working effectively due to its long record of incapability for controlling and reinforcing regulations of biodiversity and ecosystem’s protections.

“ At least 1200 orangutans left in cages of the rehabilitation centres are one proof of the Forestry Ministry’s incapability to run the control. Most of the orangutans are evacuated from deforestation projects’ fields, particularly in Central Borneo where deforestation is done to make way for palm oil plantations. If the rehabilitation centres in East and West Kalimantan still accepted another evacuated orangutans, then they would surely be inundated with newly refuged orangutans. Deforestation within the two provinces have been taking place massively. One survive baby orangutan represents other 2 to 10 murdered orangutans. Legally orangutans are reserved by law no. 5 year 1990, which governs biodiversity and ecosystem’s protection. It is an irony indeed as none of orangutan’s killers have been convicted so far,” Hardi Baktiantoro, COP’s Orangutan Campaigner, said.

In COP’s perspective the new regulation will lead to the followings:

1. Manipulated completion of problems of forestry and biodiversity – Subsequently there will be no more statistic data showing destroyed forests deforested for palm oil plantations. On papers forests’ width will not decrease. As a matter of fact, however, natural forests with rich biodiversity have been converted to become palm oil plantations.
2. Rehabilitated records of crimes, such as murdering orangutans and devastating their habitat done by palm oil plantations – Eventually palm oil plantations will have a legitimated excuse and claim deforestations as forest management while destroying forests. This will seem to legalize a criminal action.
3. Indonesia’s one great loss – Although palm oil can be taken into account for carbon trade, profits gained later on will not be able to buy wildlife species, which have died out due to vanished natural forests.

Volunteers of COP express the encouragement through a unique demonstration in the heart of Jakarta. They appear and are body painted as the Na’vi, a humanoid race of planet Pandora in Avatar movie. They bring a message from other humanoid living on earth, Orangutans. The message says, “We need real forests”. It is based on the fact that orangutans and other endemic animals of Kalimantan, like clouded leopards and sun bears will not be able to survive in palm oil plantations. Their habitat is the real and natural forests.

“Avatar is fantasy. However the problem depicted from the movie is as real as that which is experienced by orangutans, the humanoid of Kalimantan. We hope that the Forestry Ministry will become conscious, wake up from their fantasy and see the reality that palm oil plantations are not forests which will support orangutans and thousands of other wildlife,” Seto Hari Wibowo, COP’ Orangutan Campaigner, said.

For further information please contact:

Hardi Baktiantoro
HP: +628121145911
email: orangutanborneo@mac.com

Seto Hari Wibowo
HP: +62813334446446
email:seto.wibowo@cop.or.id

We are proud to introduce the newest member of the adoption program!

Read her story      Adopt Monti

Take a moment to join the Rainforest Action Network’s campaign for sustainable palm oil.

By Rachel Cernansky
Boulder, CO, USA
Feb 12, 2010
Source: Planet Green

SIGN THE PETITION

Rainforest Action Network is encouraging people to contact General Mills to express their concern (or dismay or outrage, whatever is appropriate) at the company’s increasing use of palm oil from Indonesian, Malaysian and Papua New Guinea rainforests.

The deforestation involved in palm oil production is one of the largest contributors to global warming, as Treehugger has pointed out before: Palm oil plantations store 40 tons of carbon per hectare in above-ground biomass, while selectively-logged forests store 70-200 tons and older forests that are left alone store a whopping 400 tons per hectare. The industry is also destroying habitat for orangutans, some of the world’s rarest cats, and other endangered (or not-yet-endangered) wildlife.

But palm oil is everywhere, so the issue really transcends the personal decisions you make at the supermarket (though that’s a start). So it’s important that companies that manufacture with palm oil change their practices. Some, like Seventh Generation and The Body Shop, already have, but use of sustainable palm oil is not yet widespread.

As The Petition Site points out, “Palm oil is a common ingredient in General Mills brands and products, from Betty Crocker and Pillsbury to Nature Valley Granola Bars and Yogurt Burst Cheerios.”

So they’re asking people to send letters to the General Mills CEO, Kendall Powell. They even have a sample letter for you to model from. Let General Mills know you don’t want rainforest and wildlife habitat destruction in your breakfast cereal. (Or cookies, or bread, or snacks..)

SIGN THE PETITION

Source: girl.com.au

Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.
~Dr. Jane Goodall

Our journey began four years ago, in the Fall of 2006. We met in 6th grade while playing basketball together on our school’s team. We soon became close friends and decided to earn our Girl Scout Bronze Award together. In order to do this, we had to raise awareness about an important issue in our community. We decided to raise awareness about orangutans and their rainforest habitat.

We did research and learned that orangutans were endangered for three main reasons; palm oil, deforestation, and the illegal pet trade. Rainforest land in Indonesia and Malaysia are cleared so that palm oil plantations can be planted. As a result of the land being cleared, the orangutans lose their habitat and suffer. Palm oil can be found in baked goods, candies and cosmetics. Deforestation is occurring at a rapid rate, mostly due to illegal logging. Rainforest trees are considered very valuable and as a result are often cut down and sold for furniture and other wood products. This too results in the orangutans losing their habitat. And the final main reason that orangutans are endangered is that they are illegal captured and sold as pets. Baby orangutans are very cute and as a result they can be sold for up to $60,000 on the black market. The conditions the orangutans are kept in are very harsh and often two thirds of the baby orangutans do not survive.

We began raising awareness in small ways, lugging around a home-made poster board and talking to local youth groups about orangutans and the rainforest. We also created a website (www.saveorangutan.bravehost.com) in the hopes of spreading the word even farther. At our school we founded a Middle School club called Awesome Animal Awareness, where we raised funds to protect endangered animals.

At the end of this we had completed enough service hours to earn our Bronze Award but neither one of us felt like we could stop there. After learning about the horrible things occurring in Indonesia and Malaysia to the orangutans and the rainforest, we knew that we had to continuing raising awareness and funds to save this magnificent species.

In November 2007, as 7th graders, we decided to hold National Orangutan Week (NOW) at our school to raise more awareness and funds. We made presentations to our entire 6th-12th grade and posted fun facts about the orangutan and the rainforest on lunch tables and bulletin boards throughout the school. We also sponsored a letter writing campaign for our grade which generated over 80 letters to companies that use palm oil in their products. We held various fundraising events including a palm-oil free bake sale and a Middle School Dance
. In total, we raised over $800 which was donated to orangutan conservation.

In the Spring of 2008 we were invited to attend the Great Lakes Roots and Shoots Regional Conference in Chicago. Roots and Shoot is Jane Goodall’s association for young people and at the conference we were given an opportunity to hear Dr. Goodall speak. We were also able to present our project to the other conference participants, including Dr. Goodall.

After returning from the Roots and Shoots conference and hearing Dr. Goodall give a very inspiring speech we were filled with a new sense of motivation and set out to accomplish great things.

We were contacted by Richard Zimmerman, the head of an organization named Orangutan Outreach. He had heard of our project and wanted to personally congratulate us on our work. He also offered us the chance to act as the founders of Forest School 101, Orangutan Outreach’s program for youth. We were thrilled and accepted his offer.

We worked with Forest School 101 and Orangutan Outreach, while continuing to raise awareness within our local community. In the Fall of 2008 we decided to hold National Orangutan Week at our school again, knowing what a success it had been the last year. We raised awareness through presentations and fun facts posted throughout the school. We also raised another $800 which was donated to orangutan conservation.

About this time we realized that Girl Scout Cookies contained palm oil, an ingredient that causes rainforest deforestation and as a result, endangers the orangutan. We found it ironic that the organization that had motivated us to begin this project in the first place, was contributing to the problem. We contacted the Girl Scouts National Headquarters but received a very disappointing response.

Although we were eventually granted a conference call with a few of the staff at the Girl Scout Headquarters, it was again very disappointing and little was done. We were discouraged, but emerged stronger and began to campaign for the removal of palm oil in Girl Scout Cookies.

While the Girl Scout claimed that their palm oil source was sustainable, reports have shown that the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is not very green after all. A recent Greenpeace study reveled that the RSPO has no set standards for palm oil to meet in order for it to labeled as sustainable palm oil. The RSPO also does not follow up and inspect the plantation to ensure that the palm oil was in fact, being made in a sustainable way.

We launched various campaigns designed to raise awareness and support for this issue. We have created a petition (which was signed by Dr. Goodall), a letter writing campaign and a puzzle piece campaign where past and present Girl Scout Community members have decorated a blank puzzle piece with why they believe palm oil should be removed from Girl Scout Cookies and an alternative that is truly sustainable, and still trans-fat free like canola oil should be used. In addition we created a survey to generate market research, proving that consumers of Girl Scout Cookies would like palm oil to be removed (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=OIajgqEcWgATq27Klr_2bQkg_3d_3d) We have now teamed up with Orangutan Outreach, and other individual sponsors to work toward this goal of removing palm oil from Girl Scout Cookies.

While removing palm oil from Girl Scout Cookies has been a main focus we have continued educate and raise money for the orangutans. Rhiannon moved to China for the 2009-2010 school year but even being apart could not stop us from continuing to work on the cause we started in middle school.

Madi held the third National Orangutan Week, raising nearly $900. At the end of National Orangutan Week, she visited the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago where she assisted orangutan zookeepers during an awareness day, teaching zoo visitors about the orangutan and their plight. Rhiannon has enjoyed educating her new school about orangutans, through various presentations.

Looking back over the past 4 years it is astonishing how much we have changed. We grew from shy, self-conscious girls, to young women who are strong, out-going , and are confident in themselves. This project has given us a set of values and skills that act as a foundation for many different aspects of our lives.

Through this project, we have learned that the best things in life are not about the awards. We’ve realized that what matters the most is what you accomplish, not what award you wear on your vest. When you love something and have a passion for it, you don’t take ‘no’ for a answer. When you follow your dreams and keep working, you will find a way to achieve your goal.

We’ve had to fight through many obstacles and have overcome many challenges. We’ve encountered glitches and setbacks, and there have times when it’s seemed like nothing would go right. But by working together and persevering the two of us have managed to overcome each of the obstacles that have stood in our way, becoming stronger people with each struggle.

We are two girls trying to make a difference in a world of adults and we have had to prove ourselves over and over again. Opportunities haven’t been handed to us on a silver platter but we’ve found that when you have to work hard to earn them, you appreciate them so much more.

Perhaps the most important thing that we’ve learned from this project is that anyone can be a leader. Age, gender or race, should not prevent a person from standing up for what they believe in. If you see a problem in your community, then you should take action and make your voice heard. We’ve spent the past 4 years proving ourselves to those that didn’t believe that 14 year old girls could be advocates.

We believe that Girl.com.au is a great site, because it promotes the idea of girl power. We wholeheartedly support this idea. As two successful girl advocates, we believe that we can show other girls that if they work hard enough, they can achieve anything they set their minds to.

We ask you to consider helping us tell our story and show other girls that they too can become an advocate for a cause they believe in.

Sincerely,

Madison Vorva and Rhiannon Tomtishen

Be Their Valentine!

This list has been compiled by the dedicated team at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZ), and is meant to be a helpful guide for consumers concerned about orangutan conservation and deforestation due to non-sustainable palm oil production in Indonesia and Malaysia. The certification process for sustainable palm oil is still in the early stages of implementation, so many people are choosing to buy products that do not contain palm oil.

It is not possible to guarantee the complete accuracy of this list, so please check the labels carefully before buying an item. We believe consumers should make their own decisions on what products they buy and what companies to support. For more info on orangutans and palm oil go to the CMZ website: http://www.cmzoo.org/conservation/PalmOilCrisis/ or the Orangutan Outreach palm oil crisis page.

Thanks to Alina Bachmann for providing the artwork. Learn more about her amazing work here: http://artiztic.net/orangutan/

Download the list as a pdf file