And much like Indonesia and Malaysia, many Latin American countries have abysmal environmental and human rights records. The similarities with Southeast Asia are remarkable- in both areas, companies have the help of the paramilitary in violently kicking off their land. Often the choice is to leave the land or be killed. And as this great article makes clear, folks who have lived off their land and rivers for generations are often at a loss to make a living in the big cities- which are often the only places left for them to go.

Where to start? For the last 5 days, I have been observing the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in the resort area of Nusa Dua, Bali. Just like last year, I joined the Sawit Watch delegation- a group of almost 50 small farmers and affected community members from across Indonesia.

Over the last 6 years, the RSPO- an industry-led forum that includes representation from environmental and social NGOs- has worked on developing and agreeing on a series of principles and criteria that could be used to prove that palm oil is not destroying the environment or hurting communities. This year, the first certified “sustainable” palm oil hit the market—too bad that the company was far from actually sustainable. You can read all about that here.

I was at the RSPO to meet all the power players in the palm oil business, but mostly to support the small farmer and Indigenous delegation. This is not an easy place for them to get their voices across. First off, the meeting is conducted entirely in English- which none of them speak. Second, it was held in the luxurious Grand Hyatt in Nusa Dua, Bali- one of the fanciest resorts in Bali. All the luxury can be intimidating for folks who have just come from their villages. And, most importantly, they do not have a forum within the official meeting to address their concerns. There is a task force on small holder issues- which is important- but it meets before the RSPO, and there is no formal body for affected community members to address their concerns.

The community members have some vital information to get across, too. With the global financial crisis, the price that small farmers can sell their palm oil fruit for has dropped from about Rp.1,600 ($.14)a kilo to just Rp. 800 a kilo ($.06). Many have already either chosen to, or been coerced into, replacing their food crops with oil palm. This wasn’t a problem when prices were high- they could buy food- but now that prices have plummeted, people are having trouble just feeding their families- let alone sending their kids to school and paying for health care. Even more community members have had their land stolen from them from palm oil plantation companies- taken without their free, prior, and informed consent, and without compensation. And these are just some of the issues; pesticides, wages for labor, and cultural rights are among the many issues small holders and affected community members bring to the RSPO.

So, although it was difficult, the community members made their voices heard. How? Both the smallholders and the Papuan delegation developed a list of demands, which was presented at the main RSPO meeting. Many side meetings that were held- community members met face to face with representatives of companies that they are in conflict with. With the help of partner organizations, like SawitWatch, they met with HSBC Bank- which funds many palm oil plantations- and demanded that loans be stopped while there are still land conflicts. They asked difficult questions and presented issues from their communities in every question and answer session.

There was also the first ever outside protest of the RSPO. Friends of the Earth Indonesia (Walhi)- who have condemned the RSPO- staged a small protest outside of the conference during a coffee break on the last day. They held banners that read “RoundTROUBLE on Sustainable Palm Oil” and “RSPO for Market, Not for People”. They were quickly led off the premise. The RSPO delegates were in shock- no one had ever protested them before.

What do I make of all of this? I say that the RSPO is deeply flawed. The principles and criteria are far from where they need to be on forest clearing and peat degradation. There are no greenhouse gas related criteria. There is no good mechanism for smallholders or affected community members to enter complaints about conflicts on their land. And despite the fact that the criteria are far from where they should be, companies that are violating the principles and criteria are still getting certified. There are some well meaning RSPO members, but until the RSPO shows a real commitment to farmers, to forests, and to the climate, it will never be a legitimate certification.

Once again, ADM was under the mistaken impression that they could break the law and get away with it.

In Decatur this morning we—Bria, Andrea, and Rob Parsons (a renewable energy advocate and ally in our anti-palm oil campaign from Hawaii )—arrived at the ADM shareholder meeting to present a statement from affected communities in Indonesia, a statement about RAN’s campaign against ADM, and a statement about the struggle to confront palm oil biodiesel in Hawaii. We each had our proxies (legal documentation), which should have given us the irrefutable right to attend the shareholder meeting. Shareholder advocacy is a tried and true tool in the RAN tool box, and something we have used with the vast majority of our campaign targets throughout the years.

It came as no surprise that there were five police cars- including 2 canine units- across the street from the shareholder meeting, parked in the same place that we held the protest last year. As we parked and waited for the meeting, they drove past our car and took video and pictures.

In our attempt to register at the entrance, we were immediately singled out. We were met by Victoria Podesta, the Vice President of Corporate Communications, and other members of the ADM executive security team. They greeted us by name, and stated that they had changed the rules once again, and told us that our legal proxies and paper work was not sufficient to attend the meeting. After a heated discussion with Ms. Podesta and ADM’s chief legal counsel, along with many other members of the security team, they begrudgingly allowed us to enter the meeting. Prior to entering they thoroughly searched our bags, and insisted that we hand over our phones and cameras. No other attendee was scrutinized or searched in this manner.

Once we got into the meeting we were seated in a special reserved section, and a security representative was assigned to sit with us. Several key moments of interest were when CEO Woertz announced:

• ADM and Conoco-Phillips are developing a joint project for biomass conversion.
• They are projecting growth in their bioenergy business and have opened several new biodiesel plants throughout the world.
• They have joined the “Alliance for Abundant Food and Energy” a joint project with John Deer, Monsanto, Dupont, and others to help feed the world and fuel the future.

They also identified sustainability as a key priority, which is incredibly ironic for company whose operations across the world are inherently unsustainable, and who rely on the destruction of rainforests and stealing land from communities for profit.

Finally, during the question and answer period, we all read our statements. Andrea’s focused on our general concerns regarding ADM’s role in the expansion of palm and soy and the company’s increasing investments in biofuels. Bria read a statement from the Kubu people of Jambi, Indonesia. They were violently kicked off their land and had their homes bulldozed by ADM-funded Wilmar. Rob spoke about the Hawaii Electric Company’s plans to convert their power generation to imported palm oil biodiesel from Southeast Asia, and the environmental and social concerns related to this.

After we spoke, CEO Woertz did admit that on a recent trip to Brazil she witnessed rainforest destruction for soy plantations near the Amazon, but denied ADM’s involvement. She claimed that the statement from the communities was misinformed and inaccurate. Generally, she dismissed our statements, and told the shareholders that we were just there to cause trouble.

The meeting concluded, and just as we had been escorted in, we were escorted out. A handful of shareholders approached us and thanked us for our statements, and urged us to “keep ADM’s feet to the fire”. We certainly will, with pleasure.

]]> http://understory.ran.org/2008/11/06/naughty-by-nature-a-dispatch-from-the-adm-shareholder-meeting/feed/ 8 http://understory.ran.org/2008/10/02/the-epic-saga-of-getting-your-letters-to-patricia-woertz/ http://understory.ran.org/2008/10/02/the-epic-saga-of-getting-your-letters-to-patricia-woertz/#comments Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:57:09 +0000 Brihannala http://understory.ran.org/?p=1529 When the Rainforest Ag team learned that the CEO of Archer Daniels Midland, Patricia Woertz, would be attending Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women Summit at the ultra fancy Four Seasons Aviara Resort- we knew it would be a great time to give her a special delivery of your letters and petitions.

Leila- the Ag campaign director- and I came down to Carlsbad (just north of San Diego) the day before the conference and stopped by the Aviara for dinner and to scope the scene. We looked the part in our fancy suits.

The schedule of the conference was public knowledge, so we knew that there was going to be a gala event the next night… and when Martha Stewart and Patricia Woertz are attending a gala event, you know it is going to be something special. Leila and I donned our ball gowns, and put your letters in fancy gift bags, with tissue paper on top so they wouldn’t see your letters.

Gala Attendees

Gala Attendees- RAN style

As we walked into the gala event, I looked to my left and saw none other than Patricia Woertz- not 3 feet away. Of course, we wanted to give your letters to her in a more public forum, so we kept on walking. Now I don’t want to give away trade secrets, but it turns out our name tags were just off- a red box where there shouldn’t have been one- so we got turned away before we were able to cause a ruckus at the ball.

But that didn’t stop us. Since we had learned the secret of the name tags, we returned the next day in perfect disguise. The first event of the morning was the “big meet and greet”- a ballroom affair where everyone sat down and introduced themselves to the other conference participants. There were some notable names: Martha Stewart was there, the chairwoman of the McCain Campaign, the COO of the Gap, and (my personal favorite) a woman with the unenviable job of “reputation officer for Dow Chemical”. And of course, Pat Woertz.

Leila (with the curly hair) at the "big meet and greet"

Once everyone had introduced themselves, Leila raised her hand, and got the mike. She stood up and announced that she had letters from kids and adults- we had 3200 letters and petitions in total- asking Patricia to stop destroying the rainforest. All eyes of the conference were on her. The conference security (which was super tight) was on her in a minute, turning off her mike and grabbing the mike away. But the statement had been made- and I bet anything that Patricia Woertz is going to get some hard questions from her fellow conference go-ers before the end of the week.

Leila was escorted out of the conference. The conference security told us that they would deliver your letters and petitions…. but we weren’t trusting that. We sent them off to Patricia Woertz at her headquarters in Decatur, IL, to ensure that they would get there safe and sound.

Thanks so much for all your letters and petitions, which make this kind of action possible!

]]> http://understory.ran.org/2008/10/02/the-epic-saga-of-getting-your-letters-to-patricia-woertz/feed/ 5 http://understory.ran.org/2008/09/11/update-montana-emu-ranch-and-soap-for-goodness-sake-signs-the-palm-oil-pledge/ http://understory.ran.org/2008/09/11/update-montana-emu-ranch-and-soap-for-goodness-sake-signs-the-palm-oil-pledge/#comments Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:18:53 +0000 Brihannala http://understory.ran.org/?p=1398

13 companies have now signed the Palm Oil Pledge.

We just heard the Montana Emu Ranch Company and Soap for Goodness Sake have signed our palm oil pledge, committed to only purchasing palm oil that does not destroy rainforests or communities, and to putting pressure on ADM, Bunge, and Cargill. Thank you!!

Here’s the list of all the companies that have signed so far:

• A Wild Soap Bar
• Andean Dream
• Cactus & Ivy
• Coastal Classic Creations
• Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps
• Ecolips, Inc.
• Little Forest
• Montana Emu Ranch Company
• Moon Valley Organics
• Soap For Goodness Sake
• Solay Wellness Inc.
• TelBari Inc.
• Weleda Naturals

Right after I posted the last update, we received word that Dr. Bronner’s has also committed to  only purchasing palm oil that does not destroy rainforests or communities, and to putting pressure on ADM, Bunge, and Cargill. Thank you, Dr. Bronner’s!

It has only been two weeks after our Stick It To Palm Oil day of action, two weeks since you all went to your supermarkets with your “Warning: May Contain Rainforest Destruction” Stickers, and sent over 1.3 million emails to companies that use palm oil.

And in those two weeks, we have had 10 companies sign on to our Palm Oil Pledge.

And that number is growing every day.

First off, here’s what the pledge says:

“As a company that uses palm oil in our products, we are alarmed to discover the social and environmental impacts of palm oil production and expansion in tropical rainforest ecosystems around the world. Our company is committed to protecting rainforests, communities and our global climate.

We call on all agribusiness companies – particularly Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Bunge and Cargill – to use their influence with the palm oil industry to require standards that protect rainforests and peat swamps; that do not allow any use of fire for land conversion; and that respect the free, prior and informed consent of communities impacted by palm oil expansion.

We pledge our company to not purchase any palm oil that violates these standards, and we commit to work with Rainforest Action Network to ensure that sustainable alternatives to palm oil from destroyed rainforests are available in the marketplace.”

This is definitely a big deal. This pledge commits companies to going far above and beyond any current industry-led commitments that exist- definitely far beyond the commitments found in the Round Table on Sustainable palm oil- and commits companies to put pressure on ADM, Bunge, and Cargill, the companies that are really at the root of rainforest destruction.

Here are the companies who have signed:

• A Wild Soap Bar
• Andean Dream
• Cactus & Ivy
• Coastal Classic Creations
• Ecolips, Inc.
• Little Forest
• Moon Valley Organics
• Solay Wellness Inc.
• TelBari Inc.
• Weleda Naturals

Thank you to all the companies who have signed on. It is great to have companies who are committed to protecting the rainforest from destruction for palm oil.

We are in touch with all the companies who you emailed and whose products you stickered. We are in communication with them every day, and look forward to getting many more companies signing on to the pledge soon.

I’ll be posting an update every time we get a new sign on to the pledge, or when we hear other big news from the companies. Great work, everyone.

The tagline says it all “Kraft Foods, Kellogg’s and other US food producers come under attack as demand for vegetable oil made from palm trees soars”.

In the article, they highlight RAN, the Stickering Day of Action , and the amazing work that you all did in sticking the “Warning: May Contain Rainforest Destruction” stickers on products that contain palm oil. They also tie it back to the real do-badders: ADM, Bunge, and Cargill.

And this information is reaching those who really need to know- the business people who can make the decision to stop including rainforest destruction in the foods and cosmetics they make.

More than 2,000 people overwhelmed supermarkets with stickers reading “Warning! Product May Contain Rainforest Destruction” to raise awareness about the devastating consequences of palm oil expansion.

The stickers pointed shoppers to our all new website: www.TheProblemWithPalmOil.org

If you stickered yesterday, don’t forget to email me at StickItToPalmOil@ran.org

Here are the early reports and pictures:

Astoria, OR:

Chris stickering at Safeway:

Victoria, BC:

This is Tim reporting in from the recent stickering strike launched in Victoria BC, Canada this afternoon at about 6pm. It went off without a hitch. We hit up about a dozen or so products, peeling through about 60 stickers. Our sticker squad of three had a sweet time, and here are the pics to prove it.

All the best! Keep up the great work!

San Francisco, CA:

Stickered food and cosmetics that contain palm oil.

Reportback from Marie in Westmont, Illinois:

I grabbed a shopping cart and first went to the cereal aisle in Jewel. There was an employee that was stacking items a little ways from me. So I pretended to check out cereal boxes for info (palm oil, of course) As I picked up each box, I put a sticker on each one. I did about 10 boxes then moved to an aisle that was prominently displaying Keebler products. It was a very busy aisle but I picked up the packages and again read the labels and put the stickers on them. I finished the rest of the 20 stickers and couldn’t find the remaining ones. I went back to the cereal aisle but they weren’t there. After about 2 minutes looking I casually went back to my car and there they were.

My next trip was further down the road where there was a Dominicks. Again I grabbed a cart and proceeded to the candy aisle. I found where the M & M’s were. I put about 3 stickers on the packages when an employee approached me and asked if he could help me. I politely told him that I was just looking and he left. I thought for sure he caught me but he didn’t.

From the candy aisle, I went to where the ramen noodles were (they were on sale so I knew that they would be perfect to get the message out). From there, I went to the cookie aisle and finished putting the rest of the stickers on Keebler products.

I walked around the store with the shopping cart for a few seconds and then left the store.

All in all, it went as smooth as glass and I’m am glad that I did it.

What a great campaign and thanks for letting me help.

An anonymous sticker-er wrote:

I started wondering if the grocery stores had been alerted to watch for stickering activity. Although I was dressed very nicely and look conservative, a VERY OBVIOUS plain clothes person followed me up and down aisles. I wanted to say, “Try pushing a cart and look less obvious.”

Allie in North Carolina checked in:

So, I was very excited to Stick It To Palm Oil yesterday. I had gotten over 150 stickers in the mail last week and gathered quite a few friends for the day. We showed up at our local Harris Teeter ready for some action. We scattered in a few small groups. As me and my friend Francesco were bringing awareness to some 100 Calorie Packs, a man came behind me. He had a voice deep with southern drawl, broad shoulders and a potbelly. He said to me, holding up a bag of Pepperidge Farm cookies in my face, “You want to explain this to me?”. I turned around and politely told him about this wonderful movement. He responded with a lecture about losing customers, and requested that I leave.

The South Beach Diet got a little makeover:

H Johnson wrote in:

I’m a shy person so I didn’t want to be seen stickering.  I wore plain
dark clothes and made sure no one was looking before attaching my
stickers.  I put 6 on cans of Chef Boy-Ar-Dee dinosaurs and the rest on
popcorn.  I was relieved to find that at least one brand of popcorn did
NOT have palm oil.  It only took a few minutes.

Denise got her sticker on at Target:

Even our own RYSE UP youth camp got to join in:

13 young people, armed with stickers and a great sense of humor arrived at the Pac-n-Save in Emeryville, CA on the 13th after spending a week together at the RYSE UP camping trip. We went in and looked up and down the isles, finding that nasty palm oil in just about every product in the store. One of the participants found that if she put the sticker on the price label on the shelf, it stood out even more. We got out scott free, after applying about 30 stickers in all.

Cris from New York:

Placing stickers on products was my first action with RAN. I have read a lot about our unsustainable way of living and have been frustrated doing nothing else than recycling and biking and using my backpack to pick up groceries. It made me feel part of a bigger movement.

I found a palm oil gold mine in the duane reade pharmacy. I was a bit nervous but it went swiftly. Congratulations for organizing this protest, I am now conscious about the damage of palm oil and won’t buy products made with it, I am sure many people that bought products that have the stickers will be enlightened too.
thank you

Send in your pictures and stories! StickItToPalmOil@ran.org

More to come …

More than two thousand people are going to show up at supermarkets all across North America tomorrow for RAN’s Stick It to Palm Oil day of action.

Armed with “Warning: Product May Contain Rainforest Destruction” stickers, RAN supporters everywhere will be stickering products made with palm oil. Check out this great map showing all the locations. If you don’t see your action on the map, email me at StickItToPalmOil@ran.org and I’ll add you!

View Larger Map

UPDATE:You can join in by taking action online!

Here is the official word on the brutal response of officials from the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco to last Wednesday’s peaceful protest. Also watch this video: http://video.nbc11.com/player/?id=283576

****

San Francisco, CA – Activists were outraged Wednesday morning August 6th when Chinese Consulate officials cut the climbing rope of a young Tibetan woman engaged in a nonviolent protest at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco, causing her to fall more than 15 feet, striking a balcony below.

Twenty-two year-old Nyendak Wangden fell more than 15 feet from the consulate roof to a balcony below after consular officials appear to have cut her climbing rope. Wangden was staging a symbolic mock-hanging from the consulate roof to draw attention to China’s occupation of Tibet and its brutal crackdown against Tibetans in the lead up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. On the ground below, three women, Sabba Saleem Syal, Megan Swoboda and Tenzin Khando, had chained themselves to the entranceway of the building, and held a banner reading “Tibetans are dying for freedom.”

On the roof to ensure the safety of Wangden was Brihannala Morgan, 26, of Oakland. Shortly after Wangden rappelled over the edge of the roof, Morgan was accosted by three male consular officials who struck her with a metal pipe. The assault was captured on video taken from a neighboring building. Morgan was on the roof to support Wangden and repeatedly explained to the officials that they were nonviolent protesters and that Wangden’s life would be in danger if they cut the rope.

Officials ignored Morgan’s pleas and a female consular official on the roof then made cutting motions on Wangden’s climbing rope. The rope then went slack and Wangden plummeted to the balcony below. Wangden was removed from the balcony by San Francisco city rescue crews using ladders and a stretcher after consular officials refused them entry into the building. The climbing equipment bears incisions consistent with being cut by a sharp implement, according to Derek St. Pierre, Wangden’s lawyer and an experienced rock climber himself.

Wangden was taken to the hospital by paramedics and miraculously suffered only a fractured wrist. Both women were held overnight in federal prison and then released on bond. They face federal charges with maximum sentences of 6 months in prison and a fine.

Students for a Free Tibet is relying on the US government to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter and believes that Chinese officials should be held accountable for this act of life-threatening violence against a peaceful protester. The deliberate act of cutting Wangden’s rope reflects the attitude that Chinese officials maintain towards peaceful protesters and towards Tibetans in and outside Tibet. Right now in Tibet, Tibetans are suffering under a brutal Chinese government crackdown, and at least 1,000 Tibetans remain missing since a widespread popular uprising in March.

Here’s what happened:

1) (from left to right) Kate, Aja, and Peter (and I) hit the streets with our “WARNING: Product May Contain Rainforest Destruction” stickers:

2) We found a Safeway, rife with palm oil products.

3) And found a lot of products with palm oil, ready to be stickered. The labels looked exactly like the official warning labels they are:

4) And left the products to unknowing consumers to buy, take home, and learn about palm oil:

It couldn’t have been easier. No problems at the supermarket, and now everyone who buys one of those products with the label will be able to check TheProblemWithPalmOil.org, learn more about rainforest destruction for palm oil, and take action against ADM, Bunge, and Cargill.

Plus, we put pressure on the many companies who use palm oil in their products, making it clear that, as consumers, we won’t put up with products that contain rainforest destruction, and are willing to take action to stop it.

Don’t forget… Sign up to participate in the Stick It to Palm Oil Day of Action on August 13^th! Click here to get your stickering toolkit!

And we’re really gonna need your help, come August 13^th.

Here’s what were up to: Our fabulous campaign interns– Peter, Aja, and Kate– have been working hard to put the finishing touches on the company list, and to sleuth out all of the contact info for all of these companies. In the next weeks, the Ag team will be sending them all letters, asking them to stop using palm oil until there is a truly responsible source, and to commit to putting pressure on ADM and Cargill to create more responsible palm oil.

Now we need your help. These companies need to know that the consumers who use their products care about rainforest destruction, and don’t want to see it in the products that they use every day. That is why we have printed over 15,000 warning labels, reading “Warning: May Contain Rainforest Destruction”, with our URL, TheProblemWithPalmOil.org. We want everyone who makes a purchases with palm oil in it to know that rainforests are being destroyed for their product.

On August 13^th, we are going to ask you to gather your friends and join us in our Stickering Day of Action! It’s time to visit your supermarkets, stickers in hand, and label the products that contain rainforest destruction in the form of palm oil. And, of course, give them something to do about it.

Watch your email for an action alert and a chance to sign up for a stickering tool kit soon!

This day of action, and the media that we plan to work hard to get around it, will show the companies that use palm oil that consumers do really care about ensuring that human rights and the environment are respected, and that we are willing to take action. This will be the pressure that we need to get companies to sign on to our palm oil pledge, and to put pressure on ADM and Cargill, who are the reason the palm oil is there in the first place.

So, save that date, August 13^th.

Mostly, it makes me really excited, because each and every one of those companies is going to get a letter from the Rainforest Agribusiness team, asking them to join our effort to keep palm oil out of their products until there is an alternative that does not destroy rainforests. Organizing the pressure from these food and cosmetic retailers, we are going to be able to exert real pressure over ADM, Bunge, and Cargill, and push them to make sure that communities, the climate, and the local environment aren’t put in peril by palm oil expansion.

We are planning on starting to send letters to the companies starting on July 1^st, which is why now is the most vital and important time to supermarket sleuth, and get your products posted on www.TheProblemWithPalmOil.org.

Every time we get a product registered, we find that company’s mailing address, and we send them a letter. And then we follow up, to make sure that they hear us loud and clear, and get them to commit our demands. It’s as simple as that.

Every time another company signs on to our Palm Oil Pledge, it lets ADM, Bunge, and Cargill know that there is an increasingly strong movement against irresponsible and unsustainable palm oil expansion.

In other words, the more products you register on www.TheProblemWithPalmOil.org, the more pressure gets put on the ABCs of Rainforest Destruction.

Remember, July 1^st! That’s our date for starting to send out letters to companies, and the date we need those products uploaded onto the webpage.

Perversely inspired by the Bank of America ATMs that seem to be all over Navy Pier in Chicago, and irritated that the only way to get cash involved giving BofA two dollars to use to fund coal funded power plants, we decided to bring a way to spread the message at Greenfest: creative non-violent direct action.

After a RAN-led non-violent direct action training, RAN activists—both ones who had been involved with RAN for years and who some who had discovered us at the Greenfest—decided to take on the global warming crime scenes that dotted Navy Pier. We were joined by a polar bear who was clearly concerned that the Bank of America was funding the coal that was leading to climate change and the destruction of his homeland.

Wear “Coal Kills” signs, the RAN activists paraded through the Greenfest and handed out leaflets to tourists and Greenfest participants. The polar bear, who was also wearing a “Coal Kills” sign on his belly, paused for some pictures with tourists.

The parade stopped at three ATM locations in Navy Pier, each which were promptly identified as global warming crime scenes. Activists put up signs telling the public that the ATMs were temporarily closed until Bank of America divests from dirty coal, and surrounded the area in yellow global warming crime scene tape. The polar bear did his part, putting up “Coal Kills” signs on the ATMS.

Of course, polar bears attract attention, including the attention of some of the Navy Pier authorities. After a brief escort back to the Greenfest, and a telling off, we were free to go. And the word that Bank of America funds coal and kills polar bears was heard loud and clear.

]]> http://understory.ran.org/2008/05/19/ran-activists-and-polar-bear-take-on-bank-of-america-at-greenfest-chicago/feed/ 0 http://understory.ran.org/2008/05/15/preliminary-findings-the-supermarket-sleuths-report-back/ http://understory.ran.org/2008/05/15/preliminary-findings-the-supermarket-sleuths-report-back/#comments Thu, 15 May 2008 23:08:05 +0000 Brihannala http://understory.ran.org/?p=1031 Ever since TheProblemWithPalmOil.org went live, the supermarket sleuths have been checking out their supermarkets, pantries, and medicine cabinets, all looking for evidence that ADM, Bunge, and Cargill have snuck rainforest destruction into thier products.

So far, our sleuths have found 137 products that contain palm oil. They’ve found everything from Banquet Chicken Fingers Meal to Cocoa Pebbles to O Organic Butter Microwave Popcorn. From mainstream meals to organic snacks, palm oil seems to be found in everything. Not good news for the rainforest.

The Rainforest Agribusiness team will use this information to identify what companies we need to talk to about committing to never use palm oil in the future, and which companies we should begin to consider as major campaign targets. And we still need your help– we need you to head out with your friends, with your family, or just with yourself to check out what products contain palm oil, and what alternatives are out there. It’s incredibly simple– www.TheProblemWithPalmOil.org has all the information.

Interested in getting more involved in targeting the use of rainforest destroying palm oil in food? Want to figure out how this campaign could be morphed to suit your community or campus group? Then you should join our bi-weekly conference call. Everyone is welcome to join.

The first call will be Thursday the 22nd of May at 4:30pm Pacific Time. Here’s the conference call information:

Call this number: 1-800-220-9875

Then enter this passcode: 53705125#

We’ll talk about how you can get more involved in our Rainforest Agribusiness campaign, and take action above and beyond supermarket sleuthing. I look forward to talking with you!

I’ll keep on posting updates on the supermarket sleuthing as it is ongoing. And, of course, congrats to Glenn who currently has identified the most new products. He’s first in line for getting some cool RAN gear!

]]> http://understory.ran.org/2008/05/15/preliminary-findings-the-supermarket-sleuths-report-back/feed/ 2 http://understory.ran.org/2008/05/06/let-the-sleuthing-begin-theproblemwithpalmoilorg-goes-live/ http://understory.ran.org/2008/05/06/let-the-sleuthing-begin-theproblemwithpalmoilorg-goes-live/#comments Tue, 06 May 2008 18:51:40 +0000 Brihannala http://understory.ran.org/?p=999

ADM, Bunge, and Cargill can’t hide any more: www.TheProblemWithPalmOil.org just went live.

There is no secret about what US Agribusiness companies are doing in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific: They are forcing communities off their land, destroying the last remaining habitat for endangered species like the orangutan, and burning the remaining forest stumps, all so that they can plant their massive palm oil plantations.

And where is that palm oil going? Our supermarkets.

On www.TheProblemWithPalmOil.org, you can enter the barcode numbers of the products that contain palm oil—and their palm oil free alternatives. This will give us a list of companies that we need to hold responsible for using this destructive oil.

Here’s what we need you to do:

• Go to www.TheProblemWithPalmOil.org and download the Supermarket Sleuthing form.
• Tell your friends about Supermarket Sleuthing, and get them to go sleuth with you.
• Take your team of sleuths to the supermarket and enter the 12-digit or 13-digit barcode numbers of the products you find on the Supermarket Sleuth form. Get creative and have fun!
• Go back to www.TheProblemWithPalmOil.org and enter the 12- or 13-digit barcode number of the products you found. The more new products you find, the more points you will earn!

Here’s what the RAN staff found when we went sleuthing:

Plus, you will be helping us take the first step in a vital path towards holding ADM, Bunge, and Cargill responsible for the rainforest destruction they are sneaking into our food. This is the first step of a long term retail strategy campaign…

It is not every day that we here at RAN get to announce the launch of a major new strategy… but today is one of those exciting days!

The Rainforest Agribusiness campaign is launching a retail strategy, which will focus on holding ADM, Bunge, and Cargill responsible for the rainforest destruction that they are sneaking into the products that we eat and use every day.

Over 90 % of the palm oil that is currently being grown goes directly into the kind of products that we use every day—candy bars, cake mix, toothpaste, soap, and so much more. Take a look at the products in your home—chances are, you’ll see palm oil, palm fruit oil, palm kernel oil, or palmitate. And if it contains any of these, then it comes from areas that where tropical forests have been burned and indigenous and frontline communities have been displaced to make way for the massive monocrop plantations.

We need your help to identify what products contain palm oil, and what are palm oil free alternatives.

Go to www.TheProblemWithPalmOil.org to see the new Retail Strategy webpage. On May 5th, this page will go live to everyone—not just our supporters—and you will be able to enter the barcode numbers of products that either contains palm oil or palm oil free alternative products.

Every time you enter a product that has not been entered before, you will get points, which will be tracked on the webpage. The people, or groups, who enter the most points will not only be doing the most to help us locate the products destroying the rainforest and their alternatives, but will also win cool RAN gear.

So! As an Understory faithful, you get a head start. Check out the products in your home and supermarket and write down the 12 digit barcode number on the products that either contain palm oil, or are palm oil free alternative products. All the details of what to do are online now at www.TheProblemWithPalmOil.org.

The easy products will get identified quickly, so get them in early.

This is only the first step of a major new campaign push for Rainforest Ag. This will be the first step in a path that will lead to a major new strategic launch in September—targeting a major food or soap manufacturer that uses palm oil. And we need your help to decide who that will be. To learn more about how this fits into our new long term strategy, go to www.TheProblemWithPalmOil.org.

Three RAN activists– Levana Saxon, Annie Sartor, and I– made Patricia Woertz, CEO of Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) feel really uncomfortable in front of her peers today.

The Wall Street Journal is currently putting on a conference called the ECO:nomics conference (www.economics.wsj.com) at the incredibly posh Bacara Resort right outside of Santa Barbara. It is, essentially, an opportunity for the most powerful CEOs in the world—including the CEO of Wal-Mart, BP Energy, and of course ADM—to network about how they can profit off of the current Green movement.We had a late night arts and crafts party which resulted in some impressive looking passes (official passes cost $3500 per person), dressed in our best corporate attire and joined the conference. Patricia Woertz was on stage with the vice president of BP for Alternative Energy, and spoke on how biofuels were part of the wave of the future that would solve the climate crisis. When the time for question and answer came, I raised my hand high, and was given the mic. I asked her how ADM could realize its commitment to alternative fuels by promoting palm oil biofuels, which can result in over 10 times the greenhouse gas emissions of petroleum. In the spirit of that, I told her, we had brought over 600 letters from children asking her to protect the rainforest, and not cut it down for biofuels.

Levana, our Education Coordinator, walked up to Patricia—who was on a low stage—and handed her the stack of letters, which she took. I joined Levana next to the stage, and together we unfurled a poster sized pledge that would commit Patricia—and ADM—to stopping to work with companies that destroy the rainforest for biofuels.

We stood by the stage for over 3 minutes, holding out a pen and trying to interject as the panelists discussed Wilmar—a notorious company that we have been working against with our Indonesian partners—and how activists are framing the debate about biofuels.

The panel ended and we returned to our chairs. As soon as the lights went up, we were approached by security, who informed us that the Sheriff was on his way, and that we were to be arrested. Once the Sheriff got there, though, he asked us to get off the property and that Bacara would not press charges.

Best of all, activist author and celebrity Ed Begley Jr. is speaking directly after Patricia’s panel, and is in total support of our work. He is also going to be talk about how ADM’s work on biofuels does nothing to solve climate change. Go Ed!

I bet Patricia had some hard questions to answer at lunch… And hopefully got a chance to answer some hard questions about rainforest destruction…