Scientists have named a newly discovered Amazon treefrog species after the late filmmaker Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 classic film, “A Clockwork Orange.”

The award-winning film was based on the 1962 Anthony Burgess novel of the same title. Kubrick’s dystopian film follows the story of a young Beethoven-loving criminal named Alex (Malcolm McDowell) as he’s placed in an experimental criminal reform program.

The researchers say they chose the unusual name for the frog (D kubricki in Latin) because when Burgess explained the origin of the book title,  he said: “I’ve implied the junction of the organic, the lively, the sweet – in other words, life, the orange – and the mechanical, the cold, the disciplined.”

“Without knowing, he was also giving a good metaphor to describe ecosystems,” the researchers said.

“Nature works as the interplay between life and its cold, mechanical, and disciplined physical matrix.”  

The frog also looks the part bearing bright orange patches on its arms and legs.

A Clockwork Orange was discovered in the Amazon Basin along with another treefrog species whose name translates to “devil” (D kamagarini). The treefrogs had both been previously misidentified as members of another species. The research is published in a recent issue of the journal ZooKeys.

Frogs are critically important indicator species and play critical roles in the food chains of their ecosystems. 

The discovery further validates the need for habitat preservation and continued research efforts into the functioning of earth’s ecosystems.

Stanley Kubrick, considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, made more than a dozen films including “The Shining”, “Dr. Strangelove”, “2001”, “Barry Lyndon”, “Full Metal Jacket”, and “Eyes Wide Shut.” He died in 1999.

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ColumnAfter years of controversy over widespread palm oil use, sustainable palm oil is being adopted by the world’s leading manufacturers, from small organic, eco brands to big time producers like Nestlé. But is it really sustainable? We go Behind the Label to find out.

Palm oil is a vegetable-based oil that derives from Africa’s palm oil tree. It’s now grown throughout Africa, Asia, South and North America. But today, the majority of commercial palm oil hails from Indonesia and Malaysia.

You’ll find palm oil in a number of processed foods from chocolates and baked goods to frozen foods. While the majority of it is used in food production, it’s also used in personal care and cosmetics, as well as in biodiesel. About 50 million tons of palm oil are produced annually, which accounts for about 30 percent of the world’s vegetable oil. And even though a number of companies are replacing palm oil, it can still be found in as many as 50 percent of household products in the U.S., Canada, England and Australia.

The Good

Palm oil is a major source of income in Indonesia and Malaysia, where about 87 percent of the world’s palm oil comes from. According to the World Wildlife Fund, palm oil “creates rural employment and is a crop smallholder farmers can grow easily, often lifting people in rural regions out of poverty. It’s crucial for the rest of the world too: companies everywhere depend on the unique properties of palm oil for their products.”

After awareness grew over palm oil’s connection to a number of issues including deforestation, habitat destruction, animal cruelty, indigenous rights abuses and climate change, “sustainable” palm oil arose as an ethical option. The RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) emerged in 2004 with a sustainable palm oil certification program. Its goal is to unite businesses that rely on palm oil with environmental and social non-government organizations. It has brought awareness to many of the issues connected with sourcing palm oil, and has helped companies to sign on to source “sustainable palm oil.” There are more than 850 members of the RSPO and two certification options for sustainably sourced palm oil. “Both approaches classify sustainable plantations as those not grown on land cleared of tropical rainforest after November 2005,” reports Vice.

As more awareness over the issues with palm oil production came to light, more and more companies began making commitments to sourcing sustainable palm oil—meaning palm oil that does not contribute to deforestation and habitat loss for both indigenous animals and cultures. The orangutan, which once thrived in Indonesia’s forests, is now the endangered poster animal for the sustainable palm oil industry as clear cutting forests for palm plantations continues to destroy the primate’s home.

In 2010, after pressure from Greenpeace and other groups, Nestlé committed to stop sourcing palm oil from producers that cause rainforest destruction. It’s just one example of dozens of major brands that have sustainable palm oil commitments. The Hershey Company, General Mills, Procter & Gamble, Mars, Unilever and IKEA, also have sustainable palm initiatives, working with the RSPO to source 100 percent sustainable palm oil.

Other companies have taken the commitment even further, like Alaffia, a personal care brand that sources and produces its skin and hair care products in Togo. Working with African farmers, Alaffia sources its palm fruits from small family farms, which company spokesperson Kelsey Mayer told EcoSalon must meet strict standards including small farm size, organic farming methods and no child labor. “Farmers are paid Fair Trade prices for the palm fruits,” says Mayer. Then, the palm fruits head to a Fair Trade Certified cooperative in Sokodé, where “cooperative members are paid a fair wage for their work.”

Not only is Alaffia’s model a true example of sustainability by working with small-scale farmers, but Mayer says this method also produces a higher quality product. “When palm oil is grown as an industrial plantation crop, such as in Indonesia and Malaysia on newly cleared rainforests or peat-swamp forests rather than on already degraded land or disused agricultural land, it can contribute to the endangerment of animals, such as the orangutans,” she says. “Furthermore, since our palm oil fruits are hand-picked and our oil is hand-pressed, the environmental impact is significantly lower than that harvested on plantations. Oil palms are native to West Africa (where there are no orangutans), and have been grown as part of multi-cropped sustainable small farms for centuries.”

And Mayer explains the Alaffia palm oil method produces a healthier product too: “The palm oil retains all of its natural benefits, including high vitamin levels and antioxidant properties, which it loses in the refining process.”

Dr. Bronner’s, which makes soaps and other personal care items, says that since 2006, it has shifted over 95 percent of its raw agricultural material to sources that are certified Fair Trade and organic (FTO), including Fair Trade palm oil. “We wanted to know who makes our raw materials and ensure that fair prices and wages are paid, and their production benefits the local community and environment,” the company explains on its website.

palm oil plantation worker image via Shutterstock

The Bad

Despite sustainability commitments from the world’s top palm oil using companies, a 2007 Greenpeace investigation, detailed in the report “Cooking the Climate” found that RSPO members still source palm oil from suppliers who destroy rainforest and convert peatlands into palm plantations. According to Greenpeace, one Indonesian palm refiner, Duta Palma, actually has legal rights to create palm plantations on land that’s otherwise protected by the government from the palm industry.

And while Nestlé’s commitment to RSPO and sustainable palm oil earned it accolades in 2010, just last year Greenpeace and The Rainforest Action Network say the company’s commitment actually allows deforestation. According to Food Navigator, “deforestation will continue to be allowed while members of the [Sustainable Palm Oil Manifesto] determine what forests can be developed or protected, under the High Carbon Stock (HCS) Approach.”

Greenpeace helped to develop HCS, which combines carbon and biodiversity conservation. It also supports rights for communities dependent on the palm oil industry, as well as the forests and lands where palm plantations are being introduced.

And according to Vice, it’s not just the conventional brands contributing to the palm oil issue: “Chemical companies are part of the problem because they are using ever-larger quantities of palm oil to make the “green” products demanded by consumers.”

Now, conservationists say RSPO members can do more to ensure they’re purchasing truly sustainable palm oil. Several years ago, 200 of the world’s leading scientists asked the RSPO to ban any future palm plantations that are developed on peat lands or in place of old-growth forests.

“It is vital that the RSPO add these requirements to the principles and criteria immediately to ensure that all palm oil being sold with the label ‘sustainable’ is not driving climate change and forest destruction,” the scientists wrote. But the RSPO has yet to take action on making either of these measures part of its sustainable palm oil protocol.

The Bottom Line

While companies like Alaffia and Dr. Bronner’s are redefining what the sustainable palm oil industry can look like, not all who claim to source sustainable palm oil are making as big an impact. A consumer is not always going to have the full story in front of them when making a purchase. In fact, the opposite is more likely true: consumers are often forced to take brands at their word, which is usually glossed over with a marketing sheen.

Fortunately, there are now a number of resources for the consumer who wants more information. There’s the WWF scorecard, and several smart phone apps that can help answer questions about a brand’s commitment to palm oil.

And, there are palm oil alternatives, most notably coconut oil, which is appearing in a number of products in place of palm oil.

Use your voice to let brands know that deforestation, habitat loss and unfair labor conditions aren’t acceptable. Boycott those products until brands make the shift. Companies are making major changes to their brands and product offerings when consumers demand they do so.

Find Jill on Twitter and Instagram

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Top palm oil image via Shutterstock

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Deep inside a 1,300-hectare rainforest reserve in Ecuador, mere three hours northwest of the equator, you will find Mashpi Lodge, an eco-friendly hotel bursting with activities to teach you about this unique mountain bioclimate and its wildlife – which include cycling along a high wire, listening to frogs and making chocolate.

This being Earth Month, it’s only appropriate that the lodge opened this week for the first guests to enjoy the rich flora and fauna of the bioreserve: colorful butterflies, monkeys, birds, pumas, and orchids galore.

To experience the forest first hand, you can travel along the forest canopy in the “Aerial Tram” – an open-air gondola car – giving you a monkey’s eye view of the treetops and their inhabitants. As you sit in a swiveling chair, for a 360-degree perspective, you can listen to the resident biologist make sense of it all.

Or, for those preferring solitude, climb a ladder and sit on a forest platform, or check out the hummingbird viewpoint (blink and you’ll miss them – they’re the smallest animals, and fastest birds, in the world). Adrenalin junkies can take a zipwire ride through the primeval landscape, or ride an aerial bicycle, designed for two, along a 655-foot-long cable; then cool off in a waterfall. Creatures of the night can go on a nocturnal safari (guided; you don’t want to get lost in the dark jungle). Reptile lovers can learn about frog songs and snake secrets. Or you can just sit in bed and watch it all.

The 22 guestrooms are furnished in a simple, contemporary style, with warm tones, wood and floor-to-ceiling-windows looking onto the rainforest; all have WIFI; suites and bathtubs with views (other rooms have showers). All are TV-less; it’s in a communal area – after all, you’ve got a live-action nature film going on outside your room. There are also outside terraces to tune into the jungle sounds, with secluded yoga-perfect areas; and an extensive library, where you can hear talks from experts.

In the restaurant, ingredients used are garnered from the forest – plantain and chocolate – or locally-grown organic: mandarinas, guavas, naranjillas, squeezed into freshly-made juices. You can gather your own, too – yucca, bananas, palm hearts and coffee, or make cocoa beans into their end delicacies, ripe for eating. After all that culinary excitement, you’ll need to chill out. The spa has a jacuzzi open to the outside and a massage room with treatments featuring jungle ingredients such as earth, stones, herbs and leaves. Swimming is wild, in the rivers.

Mashpi Lodge is working closely with the local community. A quarter of the staff (80% from the surrounding area) will own a stake in the project. As well as being socially responsible, hydroelectric power will be used soon.

Rates from $1,296 per person including tax, transfers from Quito with visits to archaeological sites and museum, and lunch at a volcanic crater, en route; all meals at lodge; guided daily excursions and activities within reserve; rubber boots, rain ponchos and binoculars for your jungle walkabouts (this is a rain forest, after all).

Photos: Mashpi Lodge

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

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British designer Vivienne Westwood is no newbie to advocating for climate change action, but now she’s added another cause to her list: Deforestation.

Partnering with Anvil Knitwear, Westwood has just launched a limited edition t-shirt to support the efforts of rainforest nations to stop deforestation.

Can big name designers effect environmental change? Westwood is wasting no time finding out.

Deforestation accounts for approximately 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and with much of the world intently following the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, raising awareness around the issue is crucial.

Westwood is doing so through a simple and fashionable message.:ACT FAST/SLOW DOWN and stop climate change.

“We must all commit ourselves and say YES to the Rainforest,” says Westwood.

The Coalition for Rainforest Nations is currently working on getting the UN to implement its REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) mechanism. The mechanism would issue carbon credits for each hectare of living rainforest. The credits could be traded on the global commodity market to countries that need to reduce their emissions at low cost. As a benefit, the proceeds would go to poor landowners in rainforest nations who have no other economically viable option other than logging their trees.

Along with promoting a great cause, Westwood’s t-shirt is made with a blend of recycled polyester and cotton and features eco-friendly printing. Anvil deems the cotton “transitional,” as it comes from farms that are converting to organic farming methods, a process that takes up to three years. Anvil’s commitment to practicing more sustainable farming methods has a significant impact; in 2008 the company was ranked the sixth largest organic program and the largest domestic purchaser of US grown certified organic cotton.

No word yet on where you can buy the t-shirts, so keep an eye out on Westwood’s online store as well as Anvil’s site.

Photo credits: Strawberry Earth, Threat to Democracy

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Have you ever really thought about what chewing gum is made of? Maybe you don’t really want to know. Modern gum is mostly made up of petro-based polymers. Essentially, you’re chewing plastic. But the original chewing gum came from chicle, the latex of a tropical Central American tree. And the Consorcio Chicleros of south-eastern Mexico are taking chewing gum back to its original Mayan roots.

So gum-lovers, I’d like to present you with a better option: Chicza, an organic, biodegradable, agave-sweetened gum made completely from chicle tree latex, the old-fashioned way. The chicle latex is sustainably harvested right in the tropical forest. These trees can’t produce the latex in any other environment than their natural one, so the chicleros have great incentive to protect their trees and their livelihood.

And you, as the gum chewing consumer, can rest assured that you’re chewing a botanical product (and not the product of the petrol business) and helping these people protect their land from deforestation and cattle grazing. So chew up! And toss your gum in the compost when you’re done.

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It’s truly a wonder to me what comes from the rainforest. I suppose it’s because I grew up in more temperate regions, but the products of the tropics very much intrigue me. Take these oils: babassu, buriti and cupuassu. Never heard of them before? Neither had I. But my skin yearned to be fed by their deliciousness.

Tropical Organic Bodycare – such is the tagline of Joia Botanicals. They use only natural ingredients (and all the ingredients are conveniently listed on the website, so you can see for yourself) featuring the above-mentioned exotic rainforest oils, plus many others. Best of all, Joia Botanicals promotes sustainable harvesting for the rainforest communities of Brazil by only using wild-harvested ingredients – which is an incentive for the local residents to maintain the integrity of their forests while making a fair living from their products. That sounds like a win-win situation to me. Thanks for the happiness and harmony, Joia.

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