I mentioned this topic a few days ago on Instagram and, after all the responses I received, I thought I should share more information with you so you have all the tools you need to make wiser choices. There are many ongoing issues and causes I've written about but this one is very dear to my heart. For some reason, and without ever having seen one in person, orangutans have become one of my favorite animals. Maybe it's the way they show their love towards one another and towards humans that fills my eyes with happy tears. They hug, and kiss and play just like any human being but in an extremely adorable way!!! Sadly, this species I like so much has been suffering greatly because of our selfish capitalistic mindset. During the past 20 years, the orangutan habitat has decreased by 90% due to palm oil production and around 1000-5000 orangutans are killed each year through deforestation. The orangutans that managed to survive the tree-cutting and fires, are either sold as pets for entertainment or become salves of orangutan brothels. Yes, you read correctly! Sex slaves for human pleasure. This was all exposed in an article about Pony, an orangutan that was rescued in Borneo after years of sexual slavery. Her story was so horrific and the pictures so heartbreaking, I promised myself to read every product label carefully to avoid buying things with palm oil. Now, you might be asking yourself “What the hell is palm oil?” Well, palm oil is an oil derived from the fruit of the oil palm tree and is pretty much in every freaking product we buy! Not kidding. Shampoos, soaps, body lotions, peanut butter, cleaning supplies, toothpaste, chips and even our most delicious frenemy, chocolate! Luckily, an increasing amount of brands are coming up with vegan alternatives to all palm-oil containing products. Walgreens just came up with it’s own eco-friendly & cruelty-free line, Ology. From printing paper to cleaning supplies. Walgreens has become one of my weekly stops and Ology one of my best friends. Frustrated Farmgirl's palm oil free soaps are also my recent addiction. Click here to buy them.

Little by little I’ll start sharing my favorite 100% vegan products via instagram and blog posts. In the meantime, try to read labels when you go shopping. If you see “palm oil” in the ingredients, scream NEXT and move on! Look for love words like: cruelty-free, vegan, no animal testing, no animals harmed, palm oil free, and lastly…the bunny logo. I know it’s a pain and we just “don’t have the time” but see it as your drop of kindness towards our planet. Simple steps that make a huge difference. <3

To read more about palm oil production or Pony’s story click links below.

http://www.orangutans.com.au/Orangutans-Survival-Information/About-Palm-Oil.aspx

http://orangutan.or.id/ponys-new-life-2/