Friday, July 13, 2012

Teen L.E.A.D.E.R.S.

Lead by Educating with Activities and Demonstrations on the Environment, Resources and Sciences

Join Me and Be Plastic Free!

Hello all! My name is Shauna Dauderman and I'm a Fresno Chaffee Zoo employee and the mastermind of the 30 Day Plastic Challenge, which I’ve nicknamed “30DPC”.

This is my personal journey on the plastic challenge path, avoiding single-use plastic and, so far, it has been smooth sailing.

July 10th marked the first ten days of the 30DPC and a majority of those ten days were spent on a family vacation away from home.

I was in Los Angeles on day one of the Plastic Challenge and, although the city is a huge, urban metropolis, it was not difficult to find substitutes for plastic. My family stayed in Embassy Suites for two days, which offered a continental breakfast that was completely plastic-free. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Dodger Stadium in downtown L.A. offered almost all concessions in cardboard containers and glass bottles.

Shortly after returning home, I shopped for items that were free of any single-use plastic. I invested in some canvas bags and was absolutely thrilled to find peanut butter in glass jars.

On vacation, I couldn't help but pick up the
non-decomposable plastic that I saw lying
around on Cayucos Beach
I was on a roll until my local supermarket would not let me purchase fresh produce without a plastic bag. I did end up purchasing the produce and made a mental note to save the bags and use them again or to buy produce at a Farmer's Market where plastic bags are not a requirement for purchase.

On July 2nd, the Teen LEADERS volunteer program went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to collaborate with their volunteers and to enjoy the aquarium. My brown-bag sack lunch that day consisted of an orange, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with bread that was purchased wrapped in paper, and fresh cucumbers and carrots that I packed in re-usable Tupperware. 

The last three days of my vacation were spent in Morro Bay, California. I brought my plastic-free groceries with me for snacks and did not use a straw or plastic utensil whenever my family ate out.

Although it has been challenging at times, my experience with the 30DPC has been extremely rewarding. I have never felt as fulfilled as I have now, explaining how I am doing my part to conserve and do what I love. Are YOU up to the challenge? Follow along with other Teen LEADERS' 30DPC journey on our blog. Looking forward to sharing other ways we can be plastic-free!

Monday, July 9, 2012

Teen L.E.A.D.E.R.S



Lead by Educating with Activities and Demonstrations on the Environment, Resources and Sciences


It was 6:45 AM Monday morning, and 32 teens were loading on a bus for the 3 hour drive that lay ahead of them. But these weren't just any normal teenagers, and this wasn't any normal bus ride. These were FCZ Teen LEADERS, and we were on our way to the Monterey Bay Aquarium!
                        The aquarium welcomed us with open arms- or should I say fins? flippers? tentacles? They have a teen program very similar to ours, focused on sharing messages about why we should care about wildlife and how we can protect our planet. We made this trip to meet them first-hand and share ideas, tour the aquarium, and of course have a lot of fun! The aquarium staff planned an exciting day for us with behind-the-scene tours, walks around the aquarium, icebreaker games, lunch on the beach, and I've got to say, the most entertaining game of beach tag I have ever played!
            According to Teen LEADER Sam, the best part of the day was touring the aquarium with the MBA volunteers. "We got to see all the cool, engaging parts of the aquarium, like the Kelp Forest and new ‘Jellies Experience’ exhibit. It was fun spending the day with teens our own age that share common interests." Another highlight was spending time in their Discovery Lab, where we got hands-on with some underwater critters such as sea stars, urchins and decorator crabs. We even got to feed an abalone its lunch!  
            Our trip to Monterey was definitely one to remember. Teen LEADER Monica knew just how to recap the best parts of her day, "Playing on the beach! Tours! Meeting new people and really getting to know them!" The experience of connecting with and learning from so many others who care about the oceans and the future of our planet was encouraging, energizing, and reminded us all why we volunteer our time to help our environment as Teen LEADERS. 
            This trip, along with all parts of the Teen LEADERS program, was made possible by a grant from The Ocean Project. We would like to thank them for their very generous sponsorship not only to this program, but to other ocean conservation projects world-wide.