Donna Shelmire
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 478 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO145minutesspent outdoors
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UP TO135gallons of waterhave been saved
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UP TO6.0plastic strawsnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO1.0energy auditconducted
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UP TO30minutesspent learning
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UP TO31plastic containersnot sent to the landfill
Donna's actions
Health
Know My Health
I will get my Core Four Biometrics tests (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and BMI).
Health
Go Get a Check Up
I will make an appointment for my annual physical.
Food
Advocate for Sustainable Palm Oil and Help Orangutans
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.
Simplicity
Read about sustainable living
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.
Nature
Watch a lecture series on climate change
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.
Waste
Use Reusable Bags
If at all possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.
Food
Use the sustainable palm oil app.
Download the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's sustainable palm oil shopping app.
Waste
Use the plastic footprint calculator
Complete the 3-minute consumption calculator to find ways to balance your plastic footprint.
Food
Smart Seafood Choices
Do at Home
I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.
Nature
Support Local Pollinators
Do at Home
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.
Nature
Build a bee condo
Help a very important native pollinator - bees! Provide a nesting spot.
Food
Buy orangutan-friendly candy this Halloween
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
Energy
Online Energy Audit
Do at Home
I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.
Waste
Skip the Straw
Do at Home
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.
Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community
Reduce Single-Use Disposables
Do at Home
Historically, marginalized and low-income communities live closer to landfills, contributing to a multitude of health problems. I will find out how I can limit single-use items and do my best to limit the waste I generate. I will keep 5 container(s) out of the landfill each day.
Water
Install a Low-Flow Showerhead
Do at Home
I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day by installing a low-flow showerhead.
Water
Eco-Friendly Gardening
Do at Home
I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.
Nature
Practice Gratitude for Earth
Do at Home
I will spend 20 minute(s) per day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and my natural surroundings.
Participant Feed
Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.
To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?
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Donna Shelmire 10/28/2020 1:44 PMI spent time today with my Zoo friends (docents) in Forest Park. Even though it was a cloudy and chilly day, the colors were spectacular. Always fun to spend time in nature with friends. I feel blessed to be part of the docent family at the St Louis Zoo......I have learned so much from my experiences with the Zoo.
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Donna Shelmire 10/21/2020 1:35 PMI highly recommend watching the documentary, "David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet". We saw it on Netflix. It sent a powerful message about the human impact on our planet. At times, the message seemed grim but he did end with solutions and hope. The photography was spectacular. -
Donna Shelmire 10/20/2020 5:04 PMLooking for suggestions for reducing use of straws when eating out......when I order a drink at a restaurant, I frequently forget to say "no straw, please". My drink comes with a straw and I immediately regret that I forgot to tell the wait staff that I did not want a straw. I feel it would be very helpful if the wait staff did not automatically place a straw in every drink. Instead, they would have them available only if the customer asks for one. Of course, the restaurant managers would need to support this action. I am not suggesting that wait staff take this upon themselves without management support. What are your thoughts and recommendations?-
Pat Hofmeister 10/22/2020 1:54 PMDonna, I totally agree. My husband and I went out to lunch today and I forgot to say no straw. Fortunately, the straws were wrapped so I was able to use my plastic straw that I try to carry everywhere. I think more and more restaurants are realizing that some of us don't want to use their straws and are offering them wrapped so we have a choice (and it saves them money!)
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Donna Shelmire 10/21/2020 1:23 PMJim Stroeher, Thank you for your reply. Great suggestions. Some of my favorite restaurants are on the Green Dining Alliance. I have not tried to recycle any straws since I heard they jam the recycling equipment but your suggestions is very logical and easy to do. -
Jim Stroeher 10/20/2020 8:04 PMCheck out Green Dining Alliance (greendiningalliance.org) which is an earthday365 program. They certify local restaurants that meet green requirements that lower their environmental impact. These restaurants either limit straws or have compostable straws. Their representative did a talk as part of the zoo's recent climate solutions day. Check out a few of the restaurants and then maybe email your favorite restaurants and suggest they join the program.
If you do end up with a straw, it can be recycled. The problem with straws is they fall through the sorters in the recycling center. The trick is to put the straws inside of another plastic container. Most straws are a type 5 so ideally use a type 5 container but if you use something else, it will get sorted out after the processor shreds the plastic.
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Donna Shelmire 10/19/2020 7:03 PMWe try not to use the leaf blower on our fallen leaves. We mulch the front lawn to create a natural compost for our soil. We leave the fallen leaves in the garden area so the leaves can protect the shrubs and plants and eventually add nutrients to the soil. We are fortunate that our backyard is wooded (no lawn) so we just leave the leaves alone so that insects and other critters can thrive in their natural habitat. I'm also concerned that the noise of the leaf blowers may frighten some small critters like salamanders, toads, box turtles, and chipmunks. I love finding these critters in our yard and don't want the noise pollution to send them away. -
Donna Shelmire 10/19/2020 6:44 PMWe have been composting food scraps for several years. I use to use an outdoor composting bin but that process took awhile and could be a little messy getting all the composting materials out of the bin. About 2 years ago, I started using an electric composter. It takes only about 4 hours to complete they cycle and the finished product is dry and ready to add to our garden or lawn. We do not have to add any additives to the mixture. We compost orange and banana peels, egg shells, coffee grinds, onion skins, apple cores, unused parts of fruits and veggies, etc. Using compost on our garden enriches the soil so we do not have to use any fertilizer. In addition, composting reduces our carbon footprint by reducing the amount of methane that is released from decaying food in a landfill. The Holidays are coming......put a composter on your list! -
Donna Shelmire 10/19/2020 4:59 PMI try to buy organic food as much as possible. It is usually more expensive than non-organic food but I feel that my food choices are an investment in my family's health. I try to reduce the amount of harmful chemicals in our food whenever I can. I would rather pay a little more now than pay a lot more later after we develop a chronic disorder triggered by harmful chemicals in our food. Some people have told me that they don't want to pay the extra for organic food.......I feel this type of behavior is complicit with supporting the chemical companies that manufacture and promote pesticides, insecticides, etc. Buying organic foods help those farmers who are trying to grow organic foods. I want to support organic farmers and their families. Less chemicals.....better health of our planet, our animals, and our families! -
Donna Shelmire 10/11/2020 4:39 PMI watched a documentary called "Cooked: Survival by Zip Code". It discusses extreme heat and poverty.....interesting and does link several social issues. It also advocates redefining a disaster.
