Saving the Rainforest With Chocolate

Our team decided to study the rainforest and what we are doing to destroy it. We learned that several products that we use come from the rainforest, and that a lot depends upon how these products are produced. Bananas, pineapples, papaya, coffee, cocoa, and beef are all major food products of the rainforest region. The problem is that when industrial methods are used, not only does deforestation happen, but a great deal of pollution happens from fertilizers and pesticides.

We decided that chocolate was the most important to us. Large commercial growers cut down a section of the rainforest to grow cocoa, even though the cocoa doesn't even like to be grown in the sun-it prefers to grow under the canopy, in the shade. Sun grown cocoa needs a lot of fertilizers and pesticides to grow and it doesn't even taste as good.

We spoke with business representatives and rainforest experts, and we did our own research online and with books from the library. We decided to campaign for stores to sell shade grown or fair-trade chocolate, so that we will have a choice whether or not to hurt the rainforest when we buy a chocolate bar.