Grace Morton
RPI EcoEd Research Program
Middle School Research Program
Spring 2012
Palm Oil
 Every year over 1,800,000
hectares of forest is
burned to make way for
palm oil plantations
 Palm oil is used in a
variety of food products,
personal care products,
cosmetics and pet foods
 Palm oil is extracted
from the pulp of the fruit
of the oil palm tree.
Palm Oil
AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHH!!!!!!!!!
Palm Oil
 Introduction
 Palm Oil is in almost EVERYTHING
 Palm oil production is a major factor in deforestation in
Indonesia
 Developing palm oil plantations releases carbon and
inhibits its reabsorption
 Palm oil consumption is unhealthy
Palm Oil
 Overview of Research
 Online sources
 Scientific Articles
 The EcoEd Group
Palm Oil Stakeholders
 Animals
 Orangutans
 Tigers
 Elephants
 Rhinoceros
 Leopards
 Various small monkeys
 Banteng (an Ox)
Palm Oil Stakeholders
 Indigenous Peoples
 Indonesia is a poor
country
 Palm oil sells for
$555 a ton – it is in
very high demand.
 This is too much
for Indonesia to
give up, and it’s too
cheap for the rest of
the world to ignore
Palm Oil Stakeholders
 Plantation Owners
 Companies
 Consumers
 Harvesters and
Processors
Palm Oil
 Carbon
 Carbon is the main component in most greenhouse
gases, which contribute to global warming
 Carbon is usually stored in ‘carbon sinks’ such as the
forest, where it is stored in the cells of plants
 Carbon is released when the forest is burned to make
way for palm oil plantations, or when unused parts of
the oil palm trees are burned.
 Indonesia releases more greenhouse gases than any
country besides China and the US.
Palm Oil
 Biofuel
 Biofuels are used as a substitute for petroleum based
fuels
 Palm oil can be used to manufacture biofuel
 Fortunately, a lot of other materials can be used for the
production of biofuels
Palm Oil
 Human Health
 Palm oil is loaded with polyunsaturated fat
 Polyunsaturated fat is a particularly bad type of trans fat
Palm Oil
 Solutions
 Sustainable production of palm oil, such as Herakles
Farm
 Labeling
 More Sustainable Oils
 Alternative Products
Palm Oil - Alternatives
PRODUCT CURRENTLY USED
ALTERNATIVE PRODUCT
JOHNSONs Baby Shampoo
Proctor & Gamble made sustainably
Colgate Palmolive Conditioner
Proctor & Gamble made sustainably
BODY SHOP soap
IVORY made sustainably
Makeup, Great Lash Mascara, Revlon Lipstick
LOREAL products are made sustainably
Grilled Cheese with VELVETA cheese
Locally made Cheese on Local bread
Nutella
There is a Nutella Variety without the palm oil.
All Natural JIF Peanut Butter
Skippy does not contain palm oil.
Pre Packaged Rice Crispy Treat
Use homemade rice crispy treats
Oreo
Use two slabs of crunchy chocolate and some frosting!
FLIPZ Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Dip a organic pretzel in sustainably produced chocolate
Table Talk Individual prepared Pie
Make a pie with locally grown fruit
Twinkie
Fill homemade cake with your own frosting (butter from a local farm)
PEDIGREE Pet Foods
Feed the cat……to the dog
Palm Oil
 Conclusion
 Palm Oil is bad for everything but the economy, and
even the economic benefits are short term.
 All products containing palm oil have more sustainable
alternatives.
Something to Remember…..
Special Thanks to
Maureen for her time
and effort in helping
make this project
enjoyable!