4 October 2010

Can we do more to save the orangutans???

4 October 2010 | loftuse

The ECO Event – Save the Orangutans
The Uni Pub Lounge Bar
Wear Green OR Jungle Theme
Prizes for Best Dressed, 80’s Dance Hour, Raffles, Games and more.
Food and Drink Vouchers included!
Free Eco sample bag + ‘Green’ gift
Tickets $15 or $20 on door – Tickets on Sale at Landspeed Records – Garema Place, City
*Eco Friendly Products used

I’ve always been interested in conservation, but when I heard that the Sumatran orangutan is now critically endangered due to habitat loss, I was really shocked! According to a recent Rainforest Rescue (rainforestrescue.org.au) publication (2010, p.4), ‘The exploding development of palm oil is the single biggest threat to rainforests and orangutans in Indonesia’. Apparently, the rainforests in Sumatra are being logged and burned to make way for these mass palm oil plantations. This is not only destroying the orangutans habitat but it is also contributing significantly to climate change… if you believe in climate change. If this is so, then why do we still use palm oil and why is it present in most foods (vegetable oils) and cosmetics?? The answer is….??? I have no idea!! Why doesn’t the Australian government just enforce clearer labelling on foods and cosmetics that contain palm oil, so consumers can choose whether to buy products that have it? Sounds pretty simple to me…does anyone else think so?

I want to actually DO SOMETHING for once instead of complaining all the time! I’ve decided to join the Orangutan Adventure Trek in March 2011. This trek is important because it allows me to raise funds for Rainforest Rescue. They currently have projects in Sumatra that are helping to restore and protect the orangutans habitat. I’m going to be blogging on my trek so that if people want to see what is REALLY going on there they can, via my blogspot (www.theecoevent.blogspot.com).

‘The Eco Event – Save the Orangutans’ is my fundraiser for the Rainforest Rescue Trek! If you really care about conservation, orangutans, climate change, the environment, life etc – You should come along!! If you don’t care – You should still come along!! I would love to meet you.

References:

Rainforest Rescue 2010, ‘Orangutan habitat under threat’- saving the Sumatran rainforest means saving critically endangered species, Rainforest Rescue & Orangutan Information Centre, p.4.

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sirocco5:53 pm 14 Oct 10

loftuse said :

You guys are funny! Thanks for the input 🙂

Nice bump 🙂

Good luck with this event though

loftuse4:58 pm 14 Oct 10

You guys are funny! Thanks for the input 🙂

PBO8:46 am 06 Oct 10

I find that the best way to save them is to use formaldehyde. It changes the flavour a bit but it is worth it for the long run and you can smoke the skin afterwards for a mild, endangered buzz.

georgesgenitals4:35 am 06 Oct 10

I work with a number of orangutans, and they seem pretty safe from where I’m sitting…

Pommy bastard7:17 pm 05 Oct 10

I’ve got room in my back yard for two or three, they’ll keep the kids amused over the summer.

AndyC6:44 pm 05 Oct 10

sepi said :

You can also boycott Nestle and Cadburys, who have both been guilty of using loads of palm oil, and even better, buy fair trade coffee and chocolate, and use olive oil.

Cadbury no longer uses palm oil. They swapped to it for a while, everyone said it tasted like garbage, and they changed back. Their labels also reckon they are fair trade of some sort..

Captain RAAF8:01 am 05 Oct 10

“See my vest, see my vest, made of real Gorilla chest, see my vest, see my vest, seeee myyy vest!!”

astrojax8:34 pm 04 Oct 10

a lot of palm o produced in a lot of places, not all of it is destroying endangered species habitat, so hard to know for sure the provenance of a product’s oil. that said, it would be useful for labelling to let you know if ‘vegetable oil’ is in fact palm oil; and would be better if it then listed the provenance of such ingredients – but i can’t see regulations to enforce this next level of detail, so pushing for one first is the sage path – happy trekking; cuddle an orang utan [btw, stictly spelling, the animals name is two words] for me!

sepi4:15 pm 04 Oct 10

Good on you for trekking.

You can also boycott Nestle and Cadburys, who have both been guilty of using loads of palm oil, and even better, buy fair trade coffee and chocolate, and use olive oil.

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