Keepers of the rainforest

There are times and places that remain forever imprinted in one's mind as a gift of the past. Three years ago, as I made my way to Whyanbeel valley, I knew one such gift was unfolding in front of me. I had never worked in the tropics and I felt like a child in a candy shop - so many unusual flowers, flavours and colours to excite my senses! I had stumbled upon a book on my travels in Australia about a private farm called the Botanical Ark and was so taken by the philosophy of the owners that I called them to offer my services as a gardener for free for a month. It was a truly magical experience and when time came to go, I left the heart heavy, but filled with sunshine and hope for a better future. Alan and Susan Carle are the most amazing people I have ever met. Whilst we all talk of the destruction of the planet and cry on each other's shoulder, they are hard at task, planting trees on their tropical paradise farm in order to help preserve a small portion of the remaining rainforests. Their passion for the tropical forests of the world is infectious and they instigated in me the belief that we can all make a difference, whoever we are and wherever we are to help protect the 'lungs' of the planet.

Upon returning here in England, I decided I must do something to spread the word about the role of plants and the rainforests. I didn't quite know how to set about doing so but, as luck would have it, I was offered a position as a tour guide for the Botanical Gardens at Kew. I was thrilled, it was the perfect window to share my knowledge and experience in helping the rainforests. That is why I can now be heard extolling the virtues of plants at the top of my lungs in the Palm House most every week.

People often ask me what they can do to help when the rainforests are so far away and not a tangible part of their daily life. They are always very suprised to hear me retorting that in fact they probably consume a particular product from the rainforest on a regular if not daily basis and that they can help by avoiding it. I am talking here of the insidious palm oil. You probably have never bought it on its own, but if you start looking at manufactured biscuits, crackers, crisps, cakes and sweets in your cupboards, you'll find that it is in everything crispy, crunchy, fatty or oily. Why the food industry uses palm oil is because it is hard at room temperature, helping food keep its bite for longer. Previously, hydrogenated fat was used for that purpose but it got bad press from the health authorities and most companies took it out of their production because they had to declare it on the packaging.

The problem with palm oil (other than the fact that it plugs one's arteries) is that it comes from a huge palm tree that can only be grown in the hot tropics and to make way to the crop, more and more forest is being cleared as demand increases, fuelled by us, the western world. This is especially potent in South East and Austral Asia. One can therefore help the preservation of the Malaysian and Papuan forests by simply boycoting palm oil!

It can be frustrating to try to avoid this darn oil completely - it is so widely used now - but there are options: most oatcakes for example are made with it but not Paterson's or Waitrose's own brand. Same with sweet biscuits, although shortbread, amaretti and cantuccini don't have any. Cadbury chocolates use it in their products, but not companies like Green and Black's or Montezuma. Cheap pastries have it too (it leaves a greasy taste in one's mouth after eating it), but all butter croissants don't (can you believe butter puffs do though?!). I urge you to try having a go next time you do your shopping, it is worth every effort. The Orang Outang will thank you for it. And me too!