Palm Oil: with Catherine Laurence, Eric Lambin, Orangutan rescuer Daniek Hendarto, RSPO SG Darrel Webber
Palm Oil
Palm oil is everywhere – from cooking oil to soap to vegan margarine. Equatorial rainforest and peatland are cleared and replaced with serried ranks of oil palm trees (Elaeis guineensis). The biodiversity of Borneo and Sumatra, including the iconic Orang Utan, is threatened by habitat loss.
Some vegan activists say no product that causes so much destruction can be considered vegan. But is palm oil really worse than the alternatives? And can poor countries like Malaysia and Indonesia develop without it?
Environmentalist Catherine Laurence helps me disentangle the thicket of issues.
Hear academic experts Eric Lambin and Robert Greenland; vegan baker Ms Cupcake; primatologist Georgina Ash; vegan MP Kerry McCarthy; the boss of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil; and vegan Indonesian palm oil activist and Miskin Porno lead singer Daniek Hendarto.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/110218569″ params=”show_comments=true&color=155C06&theme_color=BED3BA” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] Play or download (38.3MB MP3) (via iTunes)
Digital Vegans: with Happy Cow founder, iPhone apps, London Vegans, and Kerry McCarthy MP
(19 min) Play or download (17 MB MP3) (other formats) (via iTunes)
Digital Vegans
How has the digital revolution changed being vegan? We talk to Eric Brent, founder of leading vegetarian restaurant finder Happy Cow. Diana reviews smartphone apps. Ian finds out how the digital revolution changed his local vegan group in London.
Veganism in Politics: The British Parliament Debates World Vegan Day
(20 min) Play or download (18MB MP3) (other formats) (via iTunes)
Veganism in Politics 3: The Debate
At the end of our last episode, Kerry McCarthy MP said she’d asked for a debate in Parliament to mark World Vegan Day.
She was successful, and at the end of business on November 1st the House of Commons debated veganism. I was watching from the gallery.
In this episode, concluding our series of three about veganism in politics, we give our account of the debate. We explain what’s going on, who everyone is, and tell you which of the MPs who spoke against is officially the least sexy Member of Parliament.
Veganism in Politics: Chris Williamson MP, Cathy Jamieson MP and Kerry McCarthy MP answer your questions
(14 min) Play or download (15MB MP3) (other formats) (via iTunes)
Veganism in Politics 2: Q & A
The three vegan Members of the British Parliament (MPs) answer your questions. Are they afraid about how voters will react to their veganism? And what’s the food like at the House of Commons?
Veganism in Politics: Chris Williamson MP, Cathy Jamieson MP and Kerry McCarthy MP with questions from Dennis Kucinich and Maneka Gandhi
(40 min) Play or download (20MB MP3) (other formats) (via iTunes)
Veganism in Politics 1: Worldwide
We profile the handful of people who combine veganism with politics at their country’s national level. I went to the UK Parliament to meet Britain’s three vegan MPs. What was their path to politics? And I took with me questions from their counterparts in the rest of the world.