Are Grocery Stores Really Emptying The Ocean?

It’s been known for a long time that certain fish species are and have been heavily over-fished. Greenpeace is asking the question to whether your local (US) grocery store is helping to “empty the ocean?“. We have previously written about the trials of being a fish, and the Conserve Our Oceans Legacy campaign, which is along the same lines, but Greenpeace are trying to quantify the impact of grocery stores.

The Greenpeace website has an easy-to-read guide to red listed fish and a comprehensive grocery store report card where you can see how your local supermarket performs. US consumes spend around $16 billion on seafood per year, and half that is in supermarkets. See how your local grocery performs here.

Is Dove Destroying Rainforests?

No, not doves as in the birds, but Dove, the palm oil derived soap and personal care products from Unilever.

Greenpeace have launched (another) campaign is to stop Dove (and its maker, Unilever) from apparently destroying Indonesian rainforests and tropical peatlands for palm oil. They have launched a video asking people to talk to Dove while there’s still time (in response to Dove’s famous Onslaught video):

According to Greenpeace Indonesia is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, in large part due to the destruction of its forests at the hands of the palm oil industry. As well as accelerating climate change, the destruction of Indonesia’s forests and tropical peatlands for palm oil also puts the many endangered species there (including Sumatran tigers, Javan rhinoceroses and orang-utans) at even greater risk of extinction.

Unilever is buying palm oil from suppliers who destroy Indonesia’s rainforests and are the biggest user of palm oil in the world. To make up your own mind on the issue go here for Greenpeace’s information, and an indepth report here.

Unilever has said “We are looking to determine what actions need to be taken, if any, and will look at the supply chain”, and on their website say “We are the leaders in the search for solutions to achieving sustainable palm oil.’