When A Deforestation Moratorium Doesn’t Matter
When I think of a moratorium from a forest perspective, normally it is a very good thing. Convincing corporations or governments to agree to a moratorium that halts deforestation can…
Top Five Ways to Protect Rainforests in 2011
This post originally appeared on The Huffington Post. Many of us live thousands of miles away from Brazil, Indonesia and the Congo Basin, where the last stands of tropical rainforests…
Indonesian Palm Oil Makes Department of Labor’s Red List
Last month I wrote a post telling the horrific stories of Ferdi, Volario, and Suroso and their personal accounts of being forced into slave labor on oil palm plantations in…
Rainforest Action Network Victories: Top Ten of 2010
Making change in the world is hard work — some times decades-long hard work. But with the right combination of strategies, experience, tenacity, and allies, it is possible to achieve…
Slave Labor For Palm Oil Production
Despite the 7.2 magnitude earthquake, tsunami and successive volcanic eruptions from Mt. Merapi this November, I made my way to Indonesia to attend the 2010 Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil…
Diggin’ Palm Oil Free Soap
Most of us practice personal hygiene at least every couple of days, and because many contain synthetic chemicals, a portion of those end up in our bodies and in our…
Failures And Unanswered Questions At The RSPO
Today was the final day of the 8th Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. Many controversial and heated issues were hashed out at the four-day gathering…
The World’s Second Oldest Profession
Some people will say anything for money. Sometimes, this comes back to bite you, especially when you get called out. By famous scientists, no less. Take for example the great…
Walmart Goes Out On A Limb: Sustainable Palm Oil By 2015
After a great deal of bad press, such as the 2005 film The High Cost of Low Prices, the retail giant Wal-Mart has been feeling the pressure to clean-up their…
Palm Oil’s Effects On Communities Around The World
Did you see The New York Times Op-Ed on Saturday titled “The World Bank’s Palm Oil Mistake“? I sure did. The author, Thompson Ayodele, provided a narrow perspective on the…