The Palm Oil Crisis

Although I have been aware of the palm oil crisis between palm plantations and wildlife in Indonesia and Malaysia for some time now, I was not aware of how complex and confusing the situation has become.  When was the last time you checked around your home, pantry, bathroom, under the kitchen sink, for products containing palm or palm kernel oil?  I was shocked to find out that a huge variety of things we consume on a regular basis: taco shells, cookies, lotions, dish washing detergent (Palmolive), tooth paste, shampoo, crackers, cereal, bread, and chocolate to name a few, all contain …

Continue Reading

Becoming Good Environmental Stewards

Whether I am home or abroad I always seem to encounter human-wildlife conflict.  The mouse in the cupboard, the snake in the flower bed, bats in the attic, elephant(s) raiding crops, crocodiles at the water edge…..I think you get the picture.  So what do we do?  More times than not it is the wildlife that loses the battle. As human population continues to increase we are faced with the ultimate decision: do we continue down the road we are on, full speed ahead, or do we take a hard look at what we have done and make changes to ensure …

Continue Reading