Before I became vegan, I gave up palm oil—because it’s important and it’s easy.  And when I talk to people who are reluctant to try veganism, I tell them to do the same: start with palm oil.  Palm oil is ubiquitous in food products, and there are almost always identical alternatives. You can make easy changes, such as buying peanut butter brands that don’t use palm oil and these Oreo alternatives.  Here is a list of products to look out for:

• instant noodles
• margarine
• cookies
• packaged bread
• peanut butter
• pizza dough
• lipstick
• shampoo

Why is palm oil so bad?  To produce palm oil, farmers set fires that destroy rainforests, releasing carbon and killing countless animals, including orangutans.  The fires also wreck the peatlands that lie beneath rainforests, and act as “the world’s largest natural terrestrial carbon sink.”

You can sign this petition telling the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei to crack down on palm oil fires.

To continue speaking up, sign these other petitions as well:

• Tell Nestle, Ferrero, and Unilever to Stop Killing Orangutans for Palm Oil
• Tell Earth Balance to Stop Using Palm Oil
• Petition: Demand Justice for Abused Workers on Palm Oil Plantations

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