Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums

Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2023

July 1 - July 31, 2023

Emily Bauernfeind

Zoo New England

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
215 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

26

pieces of litter

picked up
UP TO

1.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

40

minutes

spent learning

Emily's actions

Kitchen

Cook a Plastic Free Meal

I will prepare meals at home each day without using any items packaged in single-use plastic.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

BYO Doggie Bags

I will remember my own take-away containers for restaurant leftovers.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Bathroom

Green Beauty

When it's time to buy more, I will replace my beauty products with refillable, sustainable, and/or DIY options.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bathroom

Sustainable Suds

I will replace my soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and lotions with sustainable, unpackaged, or refillable options.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Minimize Packaging

I will purchase food items with the least amount of packaging.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Kitchen

Try a New Recipe

I will try new recipe(s) or food preparation method(s) each day, such as canning, pickling, making yogurt, or baking granola bars or bread.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Bathroom

Pearly Whites

I will switch to a plastic-free toothpaste — whether purchased or DIY'd.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bedroom

Catch Those Microfibers

I will use a microfiber catcher in my laundry, or install a microfiber filter for my washing machine.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bedroom

Sunshine Bleached

I will hang-dry my laundry to use the sun as a natural bleach alternative, or use another natural bleach alternative.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 8 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

How does the act of picking up litter connect you more to your community?
Emily Bauernfeind 7/18/2023 8:41 AM
I live along a busy city street near Franklin Park. It's ALL TOO easy to find litter to pick up. It's mostly plastic, but broken glass is another concern for dog pads.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Kitchen

Do an inventory of your kitchen to see how many single-use plastics you've used in the past. What are some resuable alternatives to these commonly used products? What would your impact be if you switched all the single-use products from your inventory to reusable?
Emily Bauernfeind 7/18/2023 8:28 AM
Chips bags, tortilla bags, bread bags, frozen pizza wrappers, etc. etc. Really, cooking from scratch is the best way to save on single-use plastic. I bought a tortilla press in the hopes that we can make our own and save that plastic. Have to get better about making own yogurt and bread. It's just a time commitment (and heating the kitchen in the summer)!

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