We protect, defend, we change

The increasing prominence of articles and studies about the destruction of rainforests and the wildlife is worrying. As we care about not just our environment at Lake Balaton, but also about nature and every single element of our environment, we have taken some decisions, that may cannot solve the existing problems, but they might help to slow down the process.

Palm oil vs. sunflower oil

The first step was to get palm oil out of our restaurant. It is well known that there are many arguments in favour of using palm oil (longer use, high smoke point, more economical), but there are also many negative aspects, for instance the destruction of the rainforest and the consequent extinction of orangutans, tigers and Asian elephants.

So at SunGarden, the heart won over economy and we went back to using sunflower oil.

Important information, facts

• Palm oil is estimated to account for about 35% of vegetable oil production and consumption.
• Europe ranks third on the list of the largest consumers.
• The rainforests and orangutans pay a huge price for this huge amount of oil production.
• Penty of forests are being cleared for the land needed for palm oil production, and the forests that are home to wildlife are dwindling rapidly. Orangutans are the most at risk, having lost 90% of their natural habitat in the last 20 years. In another 3-12 years this species will be extinct.
• According to statistics of the WWF, half of all supermarket products contain some form of palm oil, making it almost impossible to avoid its consumption.
• It does not oxidise at high temperature and it is odourless, making it one of the most popular ingredients in food industry.

Step two to protect the environment.

These are not only words. After changing the oil, the fight against plastic comes next in our missions. Our aim is to reduce our ecological footprint and ancourage our fellow human beings to protect nature. We are exploring the opportunities and the best ways to do our best in this area too.