I recently watched a documentary starring the marvelous Leonardo DiCaprio called “Before the Flood”. If you haven’t seen it and didn’t assume from the title, it sheds light on the effects of climate change in all different communities around the world – ones that are being affected right now, and it is absolutely devastating. We all know the “global warming” scare, and we all know we are leaving a huge footprint no matter how hard we try not to, but there are things we can do. We CAN help, even if it is just one problem at a time – even though it seems like it’s beyond our control on an individual level, we can urge our leaders with all our might, and we can make life changing steps that only require minimal sacrifice on our part that will not only help shut down these destructive, forest engulfing, animal eradicating, air polluting money making big shots, but will ultimately save our own bodies from the poison we’ve been blind to for so long.
One of the most detrimental aspects of the film (and one of the most realistic issues to address on a personal level) was about the use of Palm Oil. I had no idea about this enormous slap in the face to Mother Earth before seeing Leo show us first hand.
The use of palm oil in SO MANY everyday products and foods that we consume daily affect climate change by more than DOUBLE compared to fossil fuels with co2 and methane gas emissions. Yes… I said that right. And that’s not even the part that hurts the most. Incredibly large areas of rainforest Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa are being completely wiped out via demolition and, yes; fire, just to obtain palm oil. Because of such detrimental deforestation, communities of indigenous people are being forced out of their home, having their equal rights violated, and being unable to protect their land. Borneo Elephants, Orangutan, and Sumatran Tigers are coming dangerously close to extinction. Shouldn’t it be our right to know what’s WE are doing? We should know when we are ruining the livelihood of human beings and the entirety of species while poisoning our own bodies simultaneously, but no, we are left in the dark to think Kraft Mac and Cheese is just Kraft Mac and Cheese. Who knew something so trivial could be the cause of such devastation? We may not have known, but they know.
I urge you to go to this website or do your own research and see how you can identify products using palm oil and how to take other steps in stopping deforestation.
http://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/which-everyday-products-contain-palm-oil
It may not seem easy to change your entire diet and get rid of all the products you’ve used forever, but just like any change in your life – small steps first. Set an obtainable goal, accomplish it, and continue to further the change. Personally, I have decided to start at the grocery store and make a new daily meal plan – a realistic one. I will not leave the produce section – I will come home after buying fresh food and meal prep for the next 5 days, that was I still have the convenience of a ready to go meal and I’m not tempted to say screw it and get food elsewhere. And there is definitely a health incentive here. Change yourself, change the world, one step at a time.
Cheyenne Talks 