May 13 – WWF’s New Stand on RSPO-Certified Sustainable Palm Oil

Last week, right before a major meeting of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) issued a statement calling for improved social and environmental performance of palm oil production standards.

April 17 – Noelle and Gracie’s Story

Noelle learned about palm oil when she came to the Zoo last year. She became very concerned about the future of orangutans, so she decided to help by spreading the word and let others know about the problem. This is her story!

April 8 – Boardwalks in the Forest

Over the past year, we’ve talked a lot about our field partner, the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP). But the Zoo has another partner that’s doing important work with orangutans too, the Tuanan Orangutan Research Project (TORP).

April 5 – Hanging Out in the Trailway

Wondering what our orangutans have been up to at the Philadelphia Zoo?

April 3 – REDD Programs in Indonesia

More news has been emerging about Aceh’s proposed spatial plan. The plan, in its current form, calls for 1.2 million hectares of forest to be converted into plantation and mining areas and for other purposes.

April 1 – Don’t Palm Us Off

Want to know what other zoos around the world are doing to fight for sustainable palm oil? Zoos Victoria in Australia has the Don’t Palm Us Off Initiative which aims to weaken Australia’s link to unsustainably produced palm oil in Southeast Asia by mobilizing community action.

March 25 – GreenPalm Certificates: Good Tool, Bad Strategy

To expand on the previous entry about roundtables and businesses improving sustainability, here’s a look at GreenPalm certificates, a method in use by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to aid manufacturers in buying sustainably produced palm oil.

March 22 – Coffee and Donuts for Wildlife

Great news! Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks have recently committed to purchasing 100% of their palm oil from suppliers certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil!

March 20 – Aceh Forests at Risk…Again

A recent press release has community members and environmental NGO’s seriously concerned about the future of over a million hectares of protected forests.

March 15 – Competition Drives Business

Competition leads to greater innovation and efficiency and spurs companies to perform better than their competitors within the industry.

March 7 – Mapping with Drones

Researchers are always looking for innovative ways to make conservation efforts more effective and cost efficient. Conservation Drones are a new application of technology being used by researchers and conservation workers to aid in surveying and mapping forests and biodiversity. Here’s an example.

February 27 – Take Our Survey

As we move into the second year of the UNLESS Campaign for Sustainable Palm Oil, we’re interested in expanding our reach and improving our social media skills.

January 24 – An Eye on Cosmetics

So far at the UNLESS Campaign, we’ve touched on various aspects of the palm oil story as it relates to orangutans and other wildlife, business, government and many other topics. But we haven’t really honed in on a specific branch of palm oil stakeholders – until now.

January 17 – Notes from the Field – Part 2

This is the 2nd installment of photographs from the field, from our friends at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).

January 15 – Notes from the Field

Philadelphia Zoo colleague, the Zoological Society of London, visited an uncertified palm oil plantation in Kalimantan, Borneo and shared their findings with us! This week we will post current photos from the field in 2 installments. The first installment highlights the conditions of the land and highlights the devastation and pollution that occurs on plantations.

January 7 – An Open Letter From Scientists on Sustainable Palm Oil

An international group of scientists, including renowned professors from all over the world have joined together in an open letter initiative to members of the RSPO. Scientists from prominent universities all over the world, including Duke University, have prepared a statement to be presented to the RSPO during this public consultation period.

January 4 – Ringing in the New Year

As 2012, the Year of the Orangutan, comes to a close we wanted to take a moment to reflect on what we have achieved this year and give you a glimpse into how the UNLESS Campaign will be moving forward in the future. We aren’t giving up on orangutans just because the Year of the Orangutan has ended!

December 19 – Orangutan-Friendly Feast

No holiday would be complete without delicious food. Some awesome companies have committed to use sustainable palm oil in their products, so why not commit to using their products in your holiday feast?

December 17 – Adding Some Extra Green to Your Holiday Color Scheme 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The holiday season is upon us! No matter which holiday you celebrate the winter months are a busy time filled with family, friends and good cheer.

December 11 – Back to the Drawing Board: Change in Strategy May Be Needed to Save Sumatran Orangutans

The Tuanan Orangutan Research Project (TORP) is a joint effort between the Fakultas Biologi, Universitas Nasional, Jakarta, the Anthropological Institute and Museum and the University of Zurich to study a natural population of orangutans.

December 6 – Time for an Upgrade – The Road to Zero Net Deforestation

What do you think is the most used vegetable oil in the world? You guessed it; it’s palm oil, which is a huge problem because it also drives more tropical deforestation than any other vegetable oil in the world.

December 3 – Court Hearing Postponed after Palm Oil Company Fails to Appear

The Tripa Peat Swamp Forest has been a hotbed of controversy in recent months. This forest is an extremely valuable biodiversity hotspot, located in Southeast Asia, and the only place in the world where endangered tigers, elephants, rhino and Sumatran orangutans can all be found living side by side.

November 28 – Greenpeace Scorecard on Palm Oil Producers: See who is getting the best grades

Greenpeace, the leading independent campaigning organization who is dedicated to promoting solutions to global environmental problems, has released their Scorecard on Palm Oil Production.

November 26 -An International Effort: Sustainable Palm Oil Platform at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL)

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has been working diligently and in a variety of ways to encourage the use of sustainable palm oil.

November 19 – Giving Thanks

Everyone has different reasons for loving Thanksgiving whether its football, turkey, pumpkin pie, or time spent with family and friends. But, most importantly, Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks and being grateful for all of the amazing things in your life.

November 16 – Leave of Gratitude

This year was the Year of the Orangutan at the Philadelphia Zoo. The Zoo was filled with interactive displays about orangutans and information about how non-sustainable palm oil production is destroying habitat for these Great apes and other wildlife.

November 15 – A Company That Cares

Seventh Generation, the nation’s leading brand of environmentally sustainable household products, is welcoming the “Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO)” logo to their new “Natural Side of Beauty Care” product line.

November 14 – Please and Thank You!

L’Oréal, Seventh Generation and Hershey’s have been some stand out companies when it comes to recognizing the importance of using sustainable palm oil in their products and protecting valuable habitat for endangered animals like orangutans.

November 9 – November 11-17th is Orangutan Week!

The week of November 11-17th marks a celebration of amazing great apes, which are critically–endangered in wild, and is aimed at raising awareness and funds for orangutan conservation.

November 5 – Halloween Photo Contest Update

Because of Hurricane Sandy’s tricks, we have decided to give you a treat and extend our Halloween Photo Contest deadline to November 7th.

October 26 – Palm Oil Sector Meets in Global Forum for Discussion Hosted by the RSPO

The 10^th RSPO (Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil) annual roundtable meeting on sustainable palm oil is quickly approaching.

October 24 – Thailand becomes First Country to have Independent Smallholders RSPO Certified

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is an international multi stakeholder organization and certification scheme for sustainable palm oil. The RSPO has been collaborating closely with major palm oil producing countries around the world since 2004.

October 22 – Tripa Petition – A Call to Action

The critically endangered Sumatran orangutan is being pushed closer to the brink of extinction every day.  Illegally operating companies in Sumatra are threatening the survival of wild orangutans for the production of palm oil.

October 17 – Keeping an Eye on the Orangutans: How Conservation Drones are becoming our Eyes in the Sky

In May, we introduced you to the new conservation drones, developed by Philadelphia Zoo conservation partner Dr. Serge Wich, Director of Research at the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) and Lian Pin Koh of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

October 17 – Keeping an Eye on the Orangutans: How Conservation Drones are becoming our Eyes in the Sky

In May, we introduced you to the new conservation drones, developed by Philadelphia Zoo conservation partner Dr. Serge Wich, Director of Research at the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) and Lian Pin Koh of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

October 17 – Justin’s Nut Butter Helping Orangutans

Boulder-based Justin’s – a pioneering and rapidly expanding leader in the organic and all-natural nut butter category – has been an passionate supporter of the use of sustainably harvested palm oil from the beginning.

October 10 – Behind the Scenes at the Philadelphia Zoo – Orangutan Research

The Philadelphia Zoo is involved in more behind the scenes action than you may think! The Zoo is also involved in lots of scientific research and development. The UNLESS Campaign is delighted to share with you an example of this research focusing on orangutan behavior in the wild.

October 8 – Unilever Leading the Way

Unilever is one of the largest palm oil consumers in the world. Their product line consists of a variety of everyday items that contain palm oil such as Bertolli sauces, Vaseline, Ben & Jerry’s and Dove soaps and hair care products.