I was really intrigued when two Girl Scouts from Michigan refused to sell Girl Scout cookies this year, citing their concerns about palm oil used in cookies and how increased planting of trees has led to a reduction in the habitat for orangutans. In the United States, Madison Vorva and Rhiannon Tomtishen made national news for deciding to sell magazines instead of the traditional Girl Scout cookies, and they should be commended.

We should be concerned that rain forests are being converted to palm oil production. While one of the factors driving this change is the need to use palm oil in food, such as cookies, a more significant and ominous factor is the use of palm oil to make biodiesel. We can stop eating the cookies, but increased demand for biodiesel is itself fueling the destruction of rainforests. Where there are crops, there are requirements like fertilizers and insecticides. How far does this oil have to be transported to reach the consumer? Isn't it better for the oil to be grown locally?

Paul Watson of the Los Angeles Times, together with correspondent Dinda Jouhanda in Jakarta (see link below), have highlighted the issues facing the orangutans residing in Tanjung National Park in Borneo and the inroads being made on this animal sanctuary by palm oil plantations as well as the relief efforts by Indonesians to help.

What's the answer? Perhaps, just like global demand led to changes in the way that coffee is grown, green economics will also fuel the need for green sources of palm oil. Better yet, instead of losing forests, we can develop carbon negative sources for our fuels. Valcent and Global Green Solutions have partnered to develop a system that uses a high density bio mass such as a fast growing algae that produces lipids, which promises to be carbon negative.

I was checking food labels for a friend of Tad's who is allergic to nuts. Bummer. There's palm oil in microwave popcorn. I don't know how that works with the nut allergy, but I think we're going to have to boycott microwave popcorn from now on. Environmentalists worry that the unintended consequence of using biodiesel fuel is further damage to the environment. Maybe it's time to ask for a green source for our fuel as well.

Madison and Rhiannon have come under fire for challenging the status quo and they have definitely risen to the occasion with their website (http://www.saveorangutan.bravehost.com/) which is well-written and informative. The dynamic duo participates in Roots and Shoots (http://www.rootsandshoots.org/), which is a program of the Jane Goodall Institute. So where does this leave us? If you want, you can skip the cookies and buy magazines or better yet, take a walk around the block and donate money. Why not adopt an orangutan orphan (http://www.orangutan.org/)?

Can two Cadette Girl Scouts make a difference in the world of orangutans and palm oil plantations and rainforests? Yes, Rhiannon and Madison, you can. It's important to think about educating children, but remember, that many adults are open to what you have to say.

I wish you the best of luck.