14 Comments For This Post I'd Love to Hear Yours!

1. Jayson Burke says:

   May 3, 2011 at 10:57 am

   It’s almost unbelievable to think that something as seemingly innocent as Girl Scout cookies could be contributing to rainforest destruction, the violation of Indigenous rights and the extinction of endangered species like orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos. Unfortunately, because Girl Scouts USA (GSUSA) chooses to use rainforest destroying palm oil in a large majority of their recipes, these are the harsh realities of their supply chain. Please educate yourself about palm oil, where it comes from and safe alternatives.
2. cynthia mashburn says:

   May 3, 2011 at 4:39 pm

   i will now read every ingredient on girl scout cookies and confront all sellers of these cookies in front of stores and at schools with no fear until palm oil is removed. poor little girls…i can only imagine their little faces when i tell them that their cookies are killing tigers and elephants.
3. Nancy Hubbs-Chang says:

   May 4, 2011 at 2:34 am

   I went to post on the Girl Scout Cookies Facebook page (largely after I read that the comments weren’t available on the main GSUSA page) and found I couldn’t post on that Wall, either…so I posted in their Discussions page, something a bit different than the recommended text, but more personal. I think perhaps some of the reasons they shut off the capability of the page(s) were a) they were tired of what they might’ve seen as “canned” responses, and/or b) they didn’t want any dissenting opinions heard, period. Could be a), but I wouldn’t doubt b)…
4. Brandy says:

   May 4, 2011 at 11:56 am

   Please don’t direct people to what you called “the Girl Scout Cookies Facebook page” http://www.facebook.com/GirlScoutTroop2298 – that is a page for one small Girl Scouts troop, not the whole organization!
5. Kathy Moore says:

   May 6, 2011 at 10:48 am

   I am a 3rd generation Girl Scout Leader and my Junior troop includes my daughter. Our troop just voted to work on RAN and Project Orangs’ Rainforest Hero badge and to research alternatives to palm oil in the cookie formulas. It’s also of concern that Thin Mints and other varieties of GS cookies don’t meet the newly released FTC guidelines for foods that can be marketed to children since more than 15% of calories come from saturated fat! Thin Mints are the second best-selling cookie in the US so you think that GS would have some clout with the snack industry. It’s past time GSUSA took a leadership role on protecting both the environment and children’s health and required it’s bakers to use an alternative to palm oil.
6. Ashley Schaeffer says:

   May 6, 2011 at 11:16 am

   Thank you to all for sharing your thoughts with us. We couldn’t agree more.
   @Kathy, thank you for your powerful personal account. So happy to hear that your troop just voted to work on the Rainforest Hero badge! We still have plenty left but these are limited edition badges and only 300 of them total so I encourage you and your troop to try and get your application in asap once they’ve finished the curriculum: http://www.ran.org/girlscouts.
7. Jenn Breckenridge says:

   May 6, 2011 at 2:10 pm

   Thanks Cynthia! Your communication will be a great opportunity to get the Scouts to write, call and convince GSUSA to make their ingredients safe for rainforests and all who live there.
8. Jenn Breckenridge says:

   May 6, 2011 at 2:13 pm

   I think the GSUSA Facebook page manager was probably extremely overwhelmed with the number of messages…It takes a lot of work to respond individually to all of those posts. Also, they may not know what to say yet. My greatest hope is that Kathy Cloninger and the executive team at GSUSA are deep in planning mode for how they will make the switch to rainforest safe oil in their cookies, and how they will announce this great leap forward to the world…What an incredible thing to celebrate for their environmental theme next year coinciding with the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts. Fingers crossed!
9. Big Ed says:

   May 13, 2011 at 4:00 am

   fix your code for the Girl Scout Cookies Facebook app

   http://http//www.facebook.com/search.php?q=girl%20scout&init=quick&tas=0.6785054731042629&search_first_focus=1305135760098&type=apps#!/GirlScoutCookies

   should be

   http://www.facebook.com/search.php?q=girl%20scout&init=quick&tas=0.6785054731042629&search_first_focus=1305135760098&type=apps#!/GirlScoutCookies
10. Martha says:

    May 13, 2011 at 2:49 pm

    Thank Big Ed, we got it fixed!
11. Ashley S says:

    May 18, 2011 at 10:09 am

    Thanks to everyone who has sent GSUSA a comment in support of removing rainforest destruction from Girl Scout cookies for next year’s 100 Year Anniversary celebration. I hope you will all consider taking part in this fun opportunity to make Girl Scout cookies rainforest safe by taking a photo with your troop! Check it out: http://understory.ran.org/2011/05/12/girl-scouts-time-to-get-behind-the-camera/
12. Aron Primack, MD says:

    August 2, 2011 at 6:50 am

    I agree that the Girl Scouts should insist on the removal of palm oil from its cookies in order to save the forests.

    But they ALSO should remove it because it is dangerous to health and shouldn’t they care about the health of all those girl scouts who eat the remainders after they sell the boxes if not the customers themselves. I fear that it is another example of profit winning over all else.

    Here is a quote from the publication “Cruel Oil” which was written for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

    “Palm oil and human health
    Palm oil is used around the world in such foods as margarine, shortening, baked goods, and candies. Biomedical research indicates that palm oil, which is high in saturated fat and low in polyunsaturated fat, promotes heart disease. Though less harmful than partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, it is far more conducive to heart disease than such heart-protective liquid oils as olive, soy, and canola. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, World Health Organization, and other health authorities have urged reduced consumption of oils like palm oil.”
13. Free online tv download says:

    September 8, 2011 at 4:39 am

    I had no idea these animals are endangered… Oh my! I watch Animal Planet rather frequently, however I haven’t heard anything about this. Thanks so much for running your amazing campaign.
14. MelissaCurtis says:

    October 12, 2011 at 5:09 am

    Wow, I never knew there are so many scouts among the celebrities. I was so pleased when I found this out. Thanks a lot for sharing this amazing article! I downloaded and converted with my pdf editor freeware that I got on this web site http://pdfeditor.me/ It was free and very fast so now I have pdf file with your article with my personal remarks.

Trackbacks For This Post

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