I’m “vegan,” not vegan. The number one ingredient in my Earth Balance vegan buttery spread, this morning? Palm oil. In plastic packaging. Neither should be considered vegan. ~ Waylon Lewis

update: Orangutan experts plead for Australian food manufacturers to reject palm oil – Apes, elephants, rhinos & tigers at dire risk if unsustainable palm oil plantations allowed in Sumatran reserve (theguardian.com)

Palm oil should not be considered vegan: I know it’s hard to avoid, though!

If it Contains Palm Oil, is it Vegan? 

Birth of a baby Orang-utan.

~

Photo: Orangutans cling on to last remaining tree after bulldozers destroy their home (thesun.co.uk)

This terrified orangutan clings tightly to a tree after its forest home was destroyed by bulldozers.

A scared baby gripping its mum’s back and a heavily pregnant ape were also caught up in the horrific ordeal.

They cowered up trees in part of the Borneo rainforest, which was brutally cleared to make way for a money-spinning palm oil plantation…read the rest, please.

This article ruined my day—but this issue is among those that inspire my life. It’s that balance that makes our saving the orangutans, and thus eventually the ecosystem upon which we all depend, and therefore eventually saving ourselves—possible.

To find out how to save the orangutan, simple: Avoid palm oil.

Problem is, it’s in many things. And it goes by many names. So know what it’s in, and what it can be called. Vegans, take note: it’s in half of what we buy.