Orangutan | Be a Seed for Change

Urge the President of Indonesia to stop the fires in Indonesia’s Tripa Swamp forest

Over ninety-two fires burn out of control in the Tripa swamp rainforest of Indonesia—home to one of the largest remaining populations of wild orangutans in the world. The fires now ablaze in Tripa started as palm oil companies rushed to clear forests once they realized that community groups had gone to court to try and stop their plantation expansion.
Sumatran orangutans could be completely wiped out if these fires are allowed to continue. We must all take collective action now to save these orangutans.
Demand that the president of Indonesia declare a state of emergency in Tripa and deploy firefighting units immediately to stop the burning.
The current crisis in Tripa could have been avoided with greater palm oil expansion oversight and attention to forest protection, species conservation and community rights.
President Yudhoyono stated this past September, “I will continue my work and dedicate the last three years of my term as president to deliver enduring results that will sustain and enhance the environment and forests of Indonesia.”
Please hold Indonesia’s president to his word. Urge President Yudhoyono to order palm oil companies to cease the burning of Tripa immediately.
Thank you for your rapid response to this urgent crisis.

		For the forests,
		Lindsey Allen Forest Program Director Twitter: @probwithpalmoil #savetripa

Yes, we love Girl Scout cookies. They support the important work of the Girl Scouts, and they’re ridiculously tasty.

Here’s the problem: Almost every type of Girl Scout cookie contains palm oil, which is commonly harvested through the clearing and burning of irreplaceable tropical rainforests.

This method harms the global ecosytem, endangers local indigenous populations, and threatens the survival of orangutans, humankind’s closest relative.

It would be easy to change — Girl Guides, an equivalent organization in the United Kingdom, recently eliminated palm oil from its cookies and has even offered Girl Scouts USA help to do the same.

Girl Scouts Madison Vorva and Rhiannon Tomtishen, both 15-year-olds from Michigan are urging Girl Scouts USA to make the switch. Click here to add your name to their petition.

Five years ago, while doing research for a Girl Scouts Bronze Award, Madison and Rhiannon were horrified to learn that the cookies they sold contributed to this serious global problem. The two girls have written letters and made presentations to Girl Scouts USA, and even launched something called Project ORANGS (Orangutans Really Need and Appreciate Girl Scouts).

These girls are the embodiment of the Girl Scouts’ mission to build “girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.” But instead of becoming poster children for the organization, Girl Scouts USA is still giving their campaign the run-around.

Madison and Rhiannon need our support. They’ve launched a campaign on Change.org with the help of the Rainforest Action Network. Please sign their petition today:

http://www.change.org/petitions/make-girl-scout-cookies-rainforest-safe?alert_id=SkDUpVJLTF_YKVwqoGhho&me=aa

Thanks for taking action,

– Judith and the Change.org team