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Two Ann Arbor Girl Scouts cut out the cookies as part of palm oil protest - Latest News - The Grand Rapids Press - MLive.com

Reporter Marjorie Kauth-Karjala can be reached at 734-482-2961 or mkarjala@annarbornews.com.

ANN ARBOR -- Two Greenhills Middle School students who started a project to earn a Girl Scout Bronze Award have ended up rejecting what may be the best known of their organization's symbols: Girl Scout cookies.

Madison Vorva and Rhiannon Tomtishen, both 12, started doing research last fall on endangered orangutans in Indonesia as part of their Bronze Award project. They discovered that the habitat of orangutans is being threatened by conversion of the land to the production of palm oil, which is an ingredient in Girl Scout cookies.

Although they've sold many boxes of Girl Scout cookies over the years, this year they sold magazines instead because of the palm oil issues. "Just doing the Bronze Award wouldn't be enough," Madison said. Rhiannon agreed. "We have stopped selling (the cookies)," she said. The girls have also launched an education drive, giving presentations at their school in Ann Arbor and other area schools and they have established a Web site. They also recently met Jane Goodall at a youth conference in Chicago, where Goodall signed their petition against palm oil. Goodall is renowned for her studies of primates and efforts to protect them.

Palm oil production leads to conflict between orangutans and people, the girls said.

"We've seen pictures of orangutans set afire and beaten. You really just want to reach out and do all that you can to help save them," Madison said.
Palm oil, which is produced from a fern-like plant, is grown after the rain forest is logged and then burned - the slash-and-burn agricultural technique practiced for centuries in tropical areas. The deforestation is increasing rapidly, party because the demand for palm oil, which is trans fat free, has risen, the girls said. They said that palm oil is found in numerous products, including many candies and snacks that they once enjoyed but now avoid.

Trans fat is unhealthy for humans. In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began requiring trans fat to be listed on the Nutrition Facts labels on manufactured food products.

Lisa Raycraft, director of funds development for Girl Scouts of the Huron Valley Council, to which Rhiannon and Madison belong, said cookie sales are a vital part of the organization's funding. Maintaining two camps that involve girls in nature and outdoor skills would not be possible without the cookie sales, Raycraft said. She also said that ABC Bakers, which produces cookies sold by the council, has said it is committed to using palm oil grown on rehabilitated or previously cleared land rather than on land that is deforested specifically for palm oil production. Raycraft also gave The News a letter from the company that said it is researching how to use as little palm oil as possible.

The girls said the explanation does not satisfy them and they plan to continue their boycott of Girl Scout cookies.

Raycraft said the council will work with the girls and has invited them to make their presentation about the dangers of palm oil to Girl Scout leaders prior to next year's cookie sale. The education effort is to be part of Rhiannon and Madison's work toward the Girl Scout Silver Award, Raycraft said.

The two girls said they plan to continue as Girl Scouts despite the conflict. "Overall, it's a pretty good organization," Madison said.

This is a fantastic article and hope everyone decides to put a dent in Raycraft's paycheck in that area by not buying girl scout cookies. I'd rather buy a magazine, providing there are good ones to buy.

Let's all stand up and just say no to the Girl Scouts for selling these cookies! I'm doing my part! I think it's sad that animals have to be killed in order for humans to have something. It really shows our greed here in the United States.

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Pete

Deafness

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Maria

Cheri

I'm not gonna boycott girl scout cookies, they are very popular, and very good.

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PuyoPiyo

Haha... Well when I was in boyscott, I remember we take the old Christmas tree for $$ and used it for our camping at Canada, thank to those people who helped our team! And their welcome for our help to trash the old Christmas tree. It's just that we are helping each other.

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Wokamuka

It would seem that the greatest problem with palm oil comes out of its use as biofuel by European energy plants. With its ecological effects made evident, the European energy market is now requiring proof of "responsible eco-friendly production." While energy production is why its market is growing, palm oil can be found in cosmetics and 11% of supermarket foods. Palm oil production has little or no regulations/laws which makes it a very lucrative investment.

Here's what the Girls Scout's website has to say:
They listed two websites of their bakers. I checked the sites out and, on all nutrition labels, palm oil is listed. There is no reference anywhere on these sites as to how I can get it without.

Consider this:

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Reba

According to the article, the bakers switched to the palm oil because people complained about them using unhealthy trans fats. Great. They did the "right" thing by switching to palm oil, so now they're punished for that action.

Is anyone boycotting the biofuel companies who are using the palm oil wholesale? Or are they picking on Girl Scouts only?

The orangutan site doesn't recommend boycotting the sale of cookies:

"Boycotting palm oil is not the answer, but demanding that it is sourced from sustainable plantations is."
The Australian Orangutan Project » Palm oil industry killing orangutans

GarnetTigerMom

I have never heard people complain that much over girl scout cookies been a years of traditions. I used to be a girl scout when I was young. But if people know that cookies are fatten, then don't buy them. If you want healthy cookies them make them without sugar. There are lot of ways to make better cookies. :-)

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GarnetTigerMom

"The rain may be falling hard outside,
But your smile makes it all alright.
I'm so glad that you're my friend.
I know our friendship will never end."
-- Robert Alan

Calvin

I do like Girl Scout Cookies.. the Green Mints as my fave and I'm still alive and I still plan to buy more if they give out more

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Steel X

I am against animal cruelity and if this is true about what the girl souts are selling, then I'll make sure I can reject that.

I rather orginal baked chocolate chip cookies or especially Oreos.

Honestly, I dont really like all of the stuff that the girl scouts are selling.

Attached Images

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June 12th 2008

Cheri

Do you eat meat or are you a vegetarian?

Back on topic:

Cookies are made out of sugar, shortening, margarine, eggs, flour, milk, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Only problem is palm oil, which is an ingredient in girl scout cookies. Palm oil is from a fern like plant. Plus palm oil is found in many candies and snacks. Should we boycott candies and snacks too?

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Liebling:-)))

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*sniffing you*

Liebling:-)))

Without sugar?

Can you please give me recipe for that cookies without sugar? It could be that honey should be replace for sugar?

Well, I do homemade cookies a lot. I use low fat butter, brown sugar, wheat flour, baking powder, dark chopped chocolate, egg, some milk. That's all.

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*sniffing you*

Cheri

Yes, can be use in food, and also in soaps, toothpaste, shampoo, cosmetics and detergents. Palm oil is almost like vegetable oil but not the same but similar.

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Reba

Again:

Wokamuka

Seems folks are looking for a quick fix to the problem by boycotting. One should consider that there may be another factor at work.

You'll have to boycott not just the Girls Scouts, but nearly all cookie, cracker, pastry, cereal and microwave popcorn companies. Explosion of palm oil use is found within these products.

Palm oil is a major cause of heart disease. I find it funny that people worry about orangutans and not their own health.

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jillio

You'd better read the package, then. Chances are they have palm oil in the ingredients, as well.

traciedowell

Talk about reading the Girl Scout's packages...

Last year I was going through a depressing time and I got 10 boxes of Girl Scout cookies from a local troop. No I did not intend to eat them all BUT I did.

Then after 3 weeks I noticed my pants did not fit AT ALL anymore and I weighed myself. How much did I gain????

7 pounds!!!!!

Then I looked at the package (nope didn't check BEFORE I ate them) and discovered that in ONE cookie there was like 200 calories or something. I was blown away. Honestly I did not realize how fattening they were.

I am happy to report that it's been over a year now and I have not had ONE Girl Scout cookie. The woman from my local troop emailed me asking me if I wanted to order any and I was like "Hell No I don't want to gain 7 more pounds!!!"

No

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~Tracie Dowell
LifeMark Career Development
http://www.deafcareer.com

"For a few years I will set aside the time that most people won't so that I can live the rest of my life the way most people can't."

GarnetTigerMom

Sure, I got sugar free cookie I made for some friends that are diabetic can t use sugar. Here recipes:

Sugar-Free Maple Cookie Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup margarine, softened (make sure it's vegan!)
1/2 cup maple syrup
Ener-g Egg Replacer for 1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt

PREPARATION:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream together the margarine, maple syrup, vanilla and egg replacer. Add the flour and stir until well combined.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms of cookies are golden brown.
enjoy.

Stores even now sell sugar free cookies as well. :-)

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GarnetTigerMom

"The rain may be falling hard outside,
But your smile makes it all alright.
I'm so glad that you're my friend.
I know our friendship will never end."
-- Robert Alan

GarnetTigerMom

I honestly don't believe they are using that on animals. I have to disagree with that. sorry. The oil palm tree is a tropical plant which commonly grows in warm climates at altitudes of less than 1,600 feet above sea level. Oil palm is normally monoic; in other words, it has both male and female flowers on the same tree. It produces thousands of fruits, in compact bunches whose weight varies between 10 and 40 kilograms. Each fruit is almost spherical, ovoid or elongated in shape. Generally the fruit is dark purple, almost black before it ripens and orange red when ripe. So a tree is not really animals, but yes trees are living things people do eat fruits from trees. :-)

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GarnetTigerMom

"The rain may be falling hard outside,
But your smile makes it all alright.
I'm so glad that you're my friend.
I know our friendship will never end."
-- Robert Alan

GarnetTigerMom

Yep that true, also Palm and kernel oils are used in the production of oleochemical products such as fatty acids, fatty esters, fatty alcohols, which all contain glycerol and fatty nitrogen. Recently, palm and kernel oils have been increasingly used as biodiesel fuel. In Asia , palm oil is also referred to as ‘gold oil' for its perfect balance of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids which do not adversely affect cholesterol levels. :-)

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GarnetTigerMom

"The rain may be falling hard outside,
But your smile makes it all alright.
I'm so glad that you're my friend.
I know our friendship will never end."
-- Robert Alan

shel90

I stopped eating them when I saw how many calories each contained. No thanks for me...

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~Shel~

Mizzou

I been girl scout for long time. I ate cookies and still alive!

Oceanbreeze

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Oceanbreeze

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