To start off, if you were unable to make it to the Orangutan Gang’s live-lesson yesterday, you can find the recording below on YouTube:

If you don’t know much about orangutans, palm oil, or some of the steps you can take to help, you can start off Orangutan Caring Week by checking out this lesson and becoming aware.

Once you’ve educated yourself about the issue, move on to taking the following steps. Remember, this week is Orangutan Caring Week, and as someone who values orangutans and their rainforest habitat you have an obligation to work to halt the destruction of their home. This week is the time to stand up, not to stand back.

• Share this post with three friends. In order to make a difference, we need to act together. You can prompt that kind of group action by creating a group. Encourage the friends you share this with to take the same steps and create a larger community.
• Make two changes on your grocery list. In order to figure out what products are sustainable or palm oil free, you can look for certification labels, check the ingredients against a guide for palm oil aliases (remember Palm, Laur, Stear, Cetyl, Glyc, Olei), or use an app like PalmSmart to scan the barcode of each product. Make sure to choose products that you buy often. This isn’t just for this week- make the changes on your grocery list permanent so that you’re making a lasting impact.
• Contact one company about becoming sustainable. Before you contact the company, make sure to check out their palm oil policy to see what, if any, certification they’re already using and any commitments that they’ve made. Then you can fill out the Orangutan Gang’s simple form letter and send it off to the company of your choice.
• Oh, and now that you’ve taken all of the required steps, go ahead and join the Orangutan Gang.

Remember, your choices matter this Orangutan Caring Week. Make the responsible choice to contribute to the movement. Your actions can- and will- save the rainforest.

Happy Orangutan Caring Week!

~Pangaea Finn, Founder and Director