Hey Chiquita, Dole: Isn't the use of tar sands bananas?
Last week, banana distributors Chiquita and Dole were confronted by full-page ads in USA Today challenging their use of energy from Canadian tar sands.
Forest Ethics placed the ads to expose and criticize the banana producers’ use of diesel from tar sands deposits in Alberta, Canada, for shipping and refrigeration. The timing comes as a decision from the Obama administration on the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, amidst vocal protests and demonstrations, is imminent.
James Hansen of NASA, the preeminent spokesman for the scientific community on this issue, has called the pipeline, “a game-over proposition for climate change.”
One of the ads reads, “It takes a lot of fuel to get a banana from the tropics to the produce aisle of your grocery store. Unfortunately, Dole uses fuel made from Canada’s Tar Sands — some of the dirtiest oil on Earth — to bring you its bananas. Extreme energy from the Tar Sands isn’t monkey business—it poisons water, air and communities, while ravaging one of our most important resources: North America’s Boreal Forest.”
The ad goes on to ask, “Does the fuel we buy reflect our values?”
It's easy to see that demand for the products utilizing Tar Sands Oil and any oil for that matter makes it difficult to stop production of the product. As consumers we need to make the decisions that will make a difference and decrease demand. When you're in the market making your shopping decisions you have incredible power. Say no to Dole and Chiquita bananas and to other products such as meat that keep us tied to the use of fossil fuels.
Tell Dole and Chiquita NO to Tar Sands bananas here!
For the latest in action stopping the Tar Sands pipeline go here!