How Your Thin Mints are Destroying the Rainforest: Two Girl Scouts Speak Out

If there were a Girl Scout badge for environmental bravery and dedication, 15-year-olds Madison Vorva and Rhiannon Tomtishen would be first in line to get them.

The pair of high schoolers have been garnering major press for their campaign to rid palm oil from Girl Scout cookies—the production of which, as we’ve written about before, destroys rainforests in Malaysia and Indonesia, and puts endangered orangutans at risk.

The girls began their crusade three years ago, while still in the fifth grade, after doing a research project on endangered orangutans in pursuit of the coveted Girl Scout Bronze Award. After learning that their beloved cookies played a role in makes the animals endangered, they launched a grassroots effort—complete with letter writing and presentations—to make Girl Scouts USA ditch dirty palm oil in favor of a more sustainable ingredient such as canola or sunflower oil.

When their efforts fell on deaf ears, the girls took their campaign one step further, and last week announced a partnership with the Rainforest Action Network to amplify their case. The collaboration has done just that, in the form of several high-profile initiatives, including an impassioned video call to action and the creation of an educational webpage. RAN has even worked with the girls to introduce the Rainforest Hero Badge, awarded to Girl Scouts who make efforts to protect tropical forests and their native species. Besides RAN, Vorva and Tomtishen have also recruited the Union of Concerned Scientists, Center for Biological Diversity and Orangutan Foundation International to their cause.

Already, the girls have had some key successes. Earlier this month, Kellogg—one of the major producers of the cookies—announced it would start purchasing GreenPalm certificates to cover the entirety of its palm oil usage. And the U.K. version of Girl Scouts, Girl Guides, has made the move to eliminate palm oil from its products, and offered its support in making the same happen in the states.

Yet despite these steps forward, Girl Scouts USA has continued to be unresponsive on the issue. On their website’s FAQ page, the organization addresses the issue by making the dubious claim that it would be impossible to produce quality cookies without palm oil—despite the fact that responsible bakeries across the country have successfully backed off from using the product. The organization’s listed commitments to address the issue are also vague at best, including missives to “use as little as possible” of the product and “continue to search for viable alternatives.”

The company likely hopes the issue will simply disappear. With any justice, a pair of 15-year-olds will ensure this doesn’t happen. Do your part by signing this petition now.

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Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons/CarolSpears