Gathering information and statistics for the presentation last Saturday was an unsettling reminder for us about how much is at stake in this battle for the autonomy of forests and forest people, but sharing our palm oil presentation with other steadfastly passionate activists was a positive reassurance: Minnesota’s garden of rabble rousers will turnip the heat on any monoculture that threatens peace and justice.
On February 12th, members of RAN Twin Cities attended the annual Green Party MN winter meeting to share the work we’ve been engaged in over the past year and to raise awareness of the Minnesota corporations whose actions have contributed to rainforest destruction.
During the meeting green party members mingled at the RAN table, shared personal stories, and talked about the environmental issues that they're most deeply invested, all while signing petitions and learning more about the role Cargill has in the international palm oil market.
During one of the breakout sessions RAN TC members gave a comprehensive workshop on how the palm oil industry is destroying communities and rainforests and how several Minnesota-based corporations are intimately tied to the fate of this product and the ecosystems that it is produced in.
Our presentation focused on the devastating impact of monoculture expansion in the islands of Indonesia and Malaysia, but it also showcased the activism and campaign successes that have taken place right here in Minnesota.
While international pressure in the form of growing consumer consciousness is still constricting around the largest private corporation in the U.S., Cargill, activists from across the U.S and Minnesota have successfully leveraged General Mills’ coveted company image to coax a palm oil policy commitment.
While the participants of the workshop were optimistic to hear that some home-grown companies like General Mills are starting to get the picture, they recognized that big-agribusiness monoliths like Cargill are going to need a mobilization of grassroots pressure to put people before profits: Thanks to all the old-timers and youngster activists from the MN Green Party who proved that you can never too old or young to be a totally rad eco-activist!
