GISS Winter Holiday Sustainability Challenge - Palm Oil

Want to help do your part for a more sustainable future?

Reducing the demand for palm oil is a simple way that we can all help to make the future of the planet, and our future as humans on it, more sustainable.

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* 1. Did you know that tens of thousands of square kilometres of tropical rainforest are slashed and burned every year to make way for palm oil plantations?

Yes

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* 2. What is the impact on the environment of burning tropical rainforests to make way for palm oil plantations?

Destroys the habitat of endangered species such as orangutans, elephants, rhinos and Asian tigers

Sends millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which increases the warmth of the planet

Removing forests takes away a carbon "sink", as forests can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it as organic carbon

All of the above

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* 3. Do you check labels on products before you buy them to see if they contain palm oil?

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

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* 4. Is palm oil (as an ingredient in food) considered to be good for your health?

Yes

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* 5. How many products in your kitchen (fridge & cupboards) contain palm oil as an ingredient? (use the Palm Oil Home Hunt Checklist to help you find them)

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* 6. How many products in your bathroom, cosmetics bag and laundry contain palm oil as an ingredient? (use the Palm Oil Home Hunt Checklist to help you find them)

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* 7. Why are palm oil and its derivatives used so often by food and hygiene producers?

It maintains its properties even when cooked under high temperatures

It's stable over long periods of time which extends the shelf life of foods (for example: crispiness or crunch can be maintained for longer)

Its smooth and creamy texture and neutral taste and smell make it a great ingredient for many recipes

It's solid or semi-solid at room temperature (for example: it stops margarine from being liquid at room temperature)

It's comparatively cheap being the highest-yielding vegetable oil crop, needing less than half the land required by other crops to produce the same amount of oil

All of the above

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* 8. Is palm oil used as an ingredient in biodiesel?

Yes

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* 9. Would you be willing to change your mind about what you buy in order to avoid products containing palm oil and palm oil derivatives?

Yes

Thank you for completing the GISS Palm Oil challenge.

We may ask you about your palm oil use again in the future. We'd like to see if, together, we can make a change in what we buy - to reduce demand for palm oil and help save the rainforest.

Year 6 Geography and the GISS Sustainability group