As I mentioned in my previous post, we have a situation on our hands with respect to the production of palm oil. It’s certainly not helped by the fact that big U.S. based agribusinesses are keeping demand for palm oil high. The big companies are Cargill, Bunge and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). Never heard of them? Yeah, me neither. So here’s some more info on these companies, which I got from the Rainforest Action Network site (a very good site, I might add).
U.S. agribusiness giants ADM, Bunge and Cargill are the ABCs of rainforest destruction: They dominate the world markets for palm oil and soy crops that are grown on cleared rainforest lands.
ADM is deeply involved in the production and sale of palm oil. It is also one of the greatest recipients of government subsidies, which means taxpayers are footing the bill for ADM’s rainforest destruction. An ADM affiliate, Wilmar, is the largest palm oil producer in the world, and its practices are among the most destructive.
Bunge, though not a household name in the U.S., is the largest agribusiness and food company operating in Brazil. While Bunge is primarily involved in soy operations that are devastating communities and ecosystems throughout South America, it is also among the largest importers of palm oil into the United States.
Cargill is the most powerful agribusiness and commodity trading group in the world. It owns a dozen plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia, where it grows oil palm on freshly cleared rainforest land. It is also a major global trader of palm oil.
Next up - some products which contain palm oil…and how you can help.
Okay – so everyone knows that some pretty scary stuff is happening to our world from war and economic crisis to global warming and climate change. But nobody seems to know how to stop these things from happening. Its like we all want to do better in our day-to-day life and be more responsible, but does it really make a difference?
It does.
I just finished reading James Ray’s new book called Harmonic Wealth and then attended a teleseminar with James about how we can spread Harmonic Wealth around the world. James really hit the nail on the head with this one idea. He talked about PHASE TRANSITION – it’s a scientific term that describes how when a critical mass of something (like a certain number of molecules) is met, then a shift in the entire structure occurs. It’s what they use to describe a liquid turning to gas at a certain temperature and that sort of thing.
James used it to explain how WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD. Seriously. If it makes sense at a molecular level, than it makes sense on a global scale, too. If enough of us make those changes happen in our own lives (get the Hybrid, recycle, go carbon neutral, vote against war, etc.), at a certain point we will hit critical mass and the change will happen for everyone! You can feel it happening already and I certainly want to be a part of it.
Check out his book at the Harmonic Wealth website: harmonicwealth.com/read
- A James Ray Fan
Well put - thanks for your comment and for letting us know about Harmonic Wealth - sounds like an interesting read.
Please go to http://www.orangutans.com.au and see exactky what Palm Oil is doing to the extinction of a Species- The ORANGUTAN