Debra Blevins Besselman

Orangutans and many other animals are in danger due to unsustainable palm oil plantations, which destroy their forest homes. Palm oil can be found in many products—even candy! We are dedicated to caring for animals, so we encourage you to consider purchasing candy that contains sustainable palm oil. For a list of suggestions, please visit: https://www.stlzoo.org/files/9815/6985/6138/STLZoo_Candy_Guide_for_Holloween.pdf

Support companies that have joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Write to your favorite companies and restaurants. Ask them to use sustainable palm oil in their products and to join the RSPO if they haven't done so already.

Download the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's sustainable palm oil shopping app.

Help a very important native pollinator - bees! Provide a nesting spot.

Pick up trash in your neighborhood or a local park.

Complete the 3-minute consumption calculator to find ways to balance your plastic footprint.

Read a (new to you) book about sustainable living. Check the links for some suggested titles or ask a friend or fellow volunteer for a recommendation.

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

If at all possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 30 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.

The Aquarium of the Pacific has bundled a number of their past lectures on various aspects of climate change. You can pick and choose, but they have arranged them in a sequence that they believe presents a coherent picture of climate change and its impacts. Each of these lectures was presented by a leader in his/her field. See link below.

I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.

I will begin, or continue, on the journey of forgiving myself and/or other(s). I may do this through journaling, meditation, prayer, and/or talking with a licensed healthcare professional.

Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 30 minute(s) each day.