Greasy Palms: The Impact of Indonesia’s Palm Oil Plantations

Indonesia is a country of incredible beauty.  As one of the more bio-diverse regions on our planets, its role in the environmental future of our globe is paramount.  With the increasing demand for cheap biofuels to lessen the global north’s dependency on foreign petroleum, palm oil plantations have taken precedence over much of Indonesia’s last remaining rainforest– the only refuge for critically endangered species, such as the orangutan, who shares 96.4% of our genes.

This project concerns the social, environmental, and economic impacts of palm oil production in Indonesia, including the loss of over 2.8 million hectares of primary rainforest each year.  A common ingredient in thousands of products, from anti-freeze to shampoo to potato chips, palm oil comprises an integral part of Indonesia’s economy.  However, its resulting impacts on local communities, including conflicts over human rights, land rights, and environmental protection, are little known.

Informed by the work of local non-profit organizations like Fauna and Flora International, Leuser International Foundation, Pan Eco, Sawit Watch, the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, the Sumatran Orangutan Society, WALHI- Friends of the Earth Indonesia, and Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari, this film works to educate global consumers, enabling them to realize the effects of palm oil consumption, and also how they can be part of a more sustainable solution.

Since its publication in March 2010, this film has been viewed in over 100 countries, and has been used in over 30 classroom presentations and public screenings in Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and the United States.  An accompanying curricula guide is now available for educators, with activities for students in Gr. 1 through to postsecondary.  Click here to learn how to use Greasy Palms in your classroom!

In accordance with our mission, this film has also been given to participating NGOs for them to use as an educational fundraising and campaigning tool.  To learn more about these and other organizations working with PSP, visit the links below and check out our Grassroots Community page.