The Story
“In Your Palm” is a documentary in which a group of young Canadian filmmakers travel to Indonesia to visit the front lines of human and environmental conflict between one of the world’s most complex and lucrative industries. This film will share the stories of farmers, indigenous groups and endangered species that have been impacted by palm oil - while seeking advice from researchers and scientists on how consumers and businesses can do their part to help palm oil become sustainable. A tone of optimism and sense of motivation throughout the film, as it shares successful conservation efforts that have been made to protect the last remaining rainforests in Indonesia from agricultural expansion.
We have spent time living with rural farmers to understand the issues they face living on the front lines of palm oil under multinational corporations. Rudi Putra, a Park Ranger that recently won the world’s most prestigious environmental award for protecting Indonesia’s forests from agricultural expansion, guided us through the Leuser Ecosystem. The Leuser is home to the last place on earth where Orangutan, Rhinos, Elephants and Tigers all co-exist together in the wild. This region is under severe threat from the encroachment of illegal palm oil plantations. We learned about the ongoing conservation efforts by park rangers and conservationists to protect the Leuser from palm oil.
Our team will visited Dosan Village, a remote area in Riau, Sumatra - where sustainability has been etched into their every day lives, which has carried out through their farming practices. We learned how they are able to generate stable income from palm oil while to living in harmony with the surrounding rainforests - with a goal of understanding how businesses around the world can adopt similar methods.
Finally, we interviewed experts from around the world answering the question: how far have we gone, and what can we do to reverse the damage?
Finally, we interviewed experts from around the world answering the question: how far have we gone, and what can we do to reverse the damage?
Traction
Our team has already completed conducting interviews in 4 different countries (Singapore, Malaysia, Canada and the United States), gaining the support (mentorship and research guidance) from organizations such as ReWild Africa, the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo, WWF, Greenpeace, Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore), and the Toronto Film Union. This film will showcase world-renowned conservation efforts from Rudi Putra (Goldman Environmental Award Winner) and conservationist Farwiza Farhan, with supporting narration from professors at Harvard University, Nanyang Technological University and the University of Toronto.
What's the Problem With Palm Oil
Palm oil is the most widely consumed vegetable oil on the planet, found in more than half of all packaged goods on supermarket shelves. Although, only 15% of palm oil on the market is certified as sustainable, meaning that 85% of palm oil consumed around the world goes untraced - and could very well have originated from concessions that have illegally cut down tropical rainforest. Unfortunately, many of the major brands that we consume each day have taken little action to ensure the palm oil they use is sustainable.
A majority of the world's palm oil is grown in Indonesia - one of the most bio-diverse countries on the planet. In the past decade, the area consumed by palm oil plantations has tripled, directly contributing to biodiversity loss, habitat fragmentation, climate change, and destruction of local communities. Establishing these plantations on land converted from swamp forests has a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions as it releases carbon dioxide and methane when they are cut down.
The story of palm oil is complicated. While the media often sheds a negative light on this industry due to its environmental impact, it also employs 4.5 million in Indonesia and Malaysia - lifting many above the poverty line. Palm oil is also the most efficient and lucrative vegetable oil, meaning it takes up less land, water and energy compared to any other vegetable oil on the market. Put simply, if the world were to switch to alternative vegetable oils, the environmental impact would be far worse than what it is today.
The story of palm oil is complicated. While the media often sheds a negative light on this industry due to its environmental impact, it also employs 4.5 million in Indonesia and Malaysia - lifting many above the poverty line. Palm oil is also the most efficient and lucrative vegetable oil, meaning it takes up less land, water and energy compared to any other vegetable oil on the market. Put simply, if the world were to switch to alternative vegetable oils, the environmental impact would be far worse than what it is today.
Palm oil is here to stay, which means active, progressive solutions are needed to ensure the protection of Indonesia’s most bio-diverse regions.
When we began our research into the palm oil industry, our team discovered how little we know about a product that we consume almost every day. The impact it’s having on our planet is crippled by a lack of knowledge on what we can do to make a difference. We decided to create a documentary that explores practical solutions being offered for consumers to help push towards a more sustainable industry. We believe that film can play a powerful role in providing people around the world with the knowledge and tools to take action in creating a sustainable future.
When we began our research into the palm oil industry, our team discovered how little we know about a product that we consume almost every day. The impact it’s having on our planet is crippled by a lack of knowledge on what we can do to make a difference. We decided to create a documentary that explores practical solutions being offered for consumers to help push towards a more sustainable industry. We believe that film can play a powerful role in providing people around the world with the knowledge and tools to take action in creating a sustainable future.