This guest-post is brought to you by Miranda.
One of the biggest debates in biofuels right now is whether or not they are truly environmentally friendly. And a great deal of the controversy right now is centered around palm oil.
In some places, palm oil is grown and harvested in a sustainable way, and in such cases the resultant biofuel is environmentally friendly. In other cases, though, palm oil is grown on plantations that have been created by massive deforestation and burning (which puts massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere).
Check the products you use for palm oil, and try to find out where it comes from. After all, it could make a big difference in the environment.
Miranda is a personal finance blogger. You can find her at Yielding Wealth and the AllBusiness Personal Finance Corner.
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But how are we supposed to tell whether the palm oil came from plantations that have been created by massive deforestation and burning? These won’t be written on the label, would it?
A lot of people just assume biofuel means it’s better for the environment, when in fact it could be more harmful than standard gas. Good job bringing people’s attention to this.
It’s hard to tell where the palm oil comes from. But if you look around enough, you can find out. Some groups, like Whole Foods, do the work for you — by only selling sustainable products.