Girl Scouts vs. Cookies
Hey, way to go, Madison Vorva and Rhiannon Tomtishen! These are two young Girl Scouts who are showing what it takes to be real young leaders and good citizens.
According to the Ann Arbor News, these two 12-year-olds gave up on selling Girl Scout cookies after learning that the cookies are made with palm oil, which comes from Indonesian plantations that threaten the orangutan’s natural habitat. What started out as a research project on orangutans aimed at earning their Bronze Award has since turned into a two-girl campaign against palm oil production.
Rather than selling Girl Scout cookies this year, Madison and Rhiannon chose to sell magazines to raise funds for their troop. They’ve done more than that, though: they’re also giving presentations at area schools and set up a Website designed to educate other kids about endangered orangutans and the palm oil industry. They even had famed primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall sign their petition against palm oil when they met with her at a recent Jane Goodall Institute Regional Roots and Shoots conference in Chicago.
The two girls even dare to argue with the Girl Scouts’ defense of its cookies. The organization says its bakery sticks with palm oil from land that hasn’t been deliberately deforested for plantations, and that it’s looking for ways to use as little palm oil as possible. But Madison and Rhiannon have stuck to their guns, choosing not only to avoid Girl Scout cookies but any other goodies made with palm oil.
I’ll give the Girl Scouts organization credit, though: it’s invited the two girls to talk with Scout leaders about palm oil before next year’s cookie sales. Who knows? Next year, maybe many more young girls will be following in Madison’s and Rhiannon’s footsteps.
Kudos to these two girls! This is what Girl Scouts should really be about, learning to be a strong woman and cutting your own path in life!
Not only is palm oil bad for the environment and orangutans, it’s reportedly bad for your health as well by creating an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Awesome!
Brilliant!
A few weeks ago I saw girls selling Girl Guide cookies. I looked at the label on a packet and was appalled at the amount of saturated fat in each biscuit. Can’t recall what the level was now. I said something about it to the salespeople at the time. I suspected that there was a lot of palm oil in them. Interesting to see this confirmed - but sad.
Wonderful that these girls are highlighting the palm oil-rainforest connection. I hope more girl scouts around the world will join them in this.
Nice story,needs some editing “They even got” “but other any other”.
Point taken, gottygotgot said: I’ve edited the offending phrases. Thanks! : )
Fantastic! You girls rock!!
Must be something in the last name.
It is nice to see the younger generation involved in the world’s eco system.