Along with every Earth Day celebration comes an acknowledgement of the destructive impact of humanity upon our environment, and an acknowledgement of our constant desire to do better. In the coming week, and the months beyond, I want to encourage you to keep those concerns top of mind. Earth Day is not just a celebration, nor a time reserved for mourning and guilt, but a plea and an urging to join the fight. So I challenge you, today and hereafter, to move out of your comfort zone and take steps to combat deforestation, habitat loss and the myriad threats that face orangutans.

• Share this post among your friends across Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. The more people learn about the dangers facing orangutans, the greater our effort to protect them will become. This is the single most important thing you can do to help save the rainforest.

• Give up a product that contains the destructive ingredient of palm oil. If you use skim or 2% milk on a regular basis, switch to whole milk, which does not contain Vitamin A Palmitate. If you eat snack food like Ritz crackers or Oreos, pick a different brand. Instead of your standard shampoo, try out sustainable options like the Acure brand or a shampoo bar. It can be any product you like, and while palm oil is pervasive, making the switch does not need to be difficult.

• Educate yourself about the palm oil issue through the Orangutan Gang’s video series, Conservation Clips. These videos offer quick, on-the-go summaries about threats facing the rainforest and how you can help.

• If you’re feeling plucky, you can contact a company using the Orangutan Gang’s form letter. Rainforest Action Network has a great list of ‘environmentally challenged” high-impact companies from which you can pick your target.

Why not take one of these steps? Why not choose to stand up for endangered orangutans and their ecosystem? Together, we can make a real difference in the lives of countless species.

Today, the rainforest is counting on you.

~Pangaea Finn
Founder and Director