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Welcome to Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2023!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2023 expert in no time!

Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums
Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2023
July 1 - July 31, 2023
Alexis DeRose's avatar

Alexis DeRose

Adventure Aquarium

"Year 3 of participating in the Eco-Challenge! Hoping to create more environmentally conscious habits this year :) #BeatColleen"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,411 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    community event
    hosted or attended
  • UP TO
    83
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    203
    pieces of plastic cutlery
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    64
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    252
    pieces of litter
    picked up
  • UP TO
    146
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    30
    minutes
    spent learning

Alexis's actions

Kitchen

Skip Plastic Bags

When possible, I will not use disposable bags when shopping, including produce bags.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Go Strawless

I will keep 2 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill per day by refusing straws or using my own reusable straw.

COMPLETED 31
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Fill a Water Bottle

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

COMPLETED 31
DAILY ACTIONS

Family + Pets

Balloons Blow

Although a long-standing festive tradition, balloons are harmful for animals and the environment. I will spend 5 learning about the dangers of balloons and find eco-friendly alternatives to use instead.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family + Pets

Discover Together

I will spend 10 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Study

Plastic History Buff

Single-use plastics are everywhere, but that wasn't always the case. I will spend at least 10 minutes learning about the history of single-use plastics and how it became ubiquitous in our daily lives.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Swap the Snacks

I will swap out 2 prepackaged snacks a day for fresh fruits or veggies.

COMPLETED 31
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Travel Eating

If traveling, I will bring my own snacks and meals in my own containers to avoid the waste of take-out containers.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Join a Cleanup Effort

I will host or participate in a beach, highway, river, or other cleanup effort in my community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Use Reusable Utensils

I will keep 6 plastic cutlery out of the landfill per day by using my own reusable cutlery.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Study

Follow the Chasing Arrows

The chasing arrows symbol we associate with recycling doesn't always actually mean something is recyclable. I will spend at least 10 minutes learning the different meanings the symbol can have.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Study

Numbers Everywhere

The numbers #1-7 on plastics tell us a lot - and can help us be better recyclers. I will learn what these numbers mean and which types of plastics are accepted for recycling in my area.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bedroom

Natural Fibers

When available, I will purchase clothing and bedding made with natural fibers, such as cotton, linen, or wool, rather than synthetic fibers.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 5 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 31
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Plastic Free Lunch Boxes

I will only pack reusable cutlery, drinkware and containers in my family's lunches to reduce plastic waste.

COMPLETED 31
DAILY ACTIONS

Bathroom

That Was a Close Shave

I will replace my disposable razors with steel razors.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Kitchen
    Have you noticed a shift in your community as more messaging about reusable straws becomes mainstream? Cite some examples.
    Alexis DeRose's avatar
    Alexis DeRose 7/29/2023 8:31 PM
    I’ve noticed a lot of places doing away with the options of straws all together. For example in Disney they just provide cups now - no plastic lids or straws. I typically carry a collapsible silicone straw with me everywhere, since I don’t like sipping from cups (cold hurts my teeth).
    Read More
    • Anna Reeve's avatar
      Anna Reeve 7/30/2023 11:09 AM
      I have seen so many places start to pay attention to these details, and it's nice to see. I definitely understand the cold part of drinks, and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one carrying around straws in my bag!
      Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community
    How does working with others to clean up your community make you feel?
    Alexis DeRose's avatar
    Alexis DeRose 7/27/2023 8:04 AM
    I love working with others to help clean up the community! In a smaller circle, I really love being able to engage with team members at AAQ that I might not get to work with on a daily basis. More broadly, it is nice to see all of the other organizations that come out to the city cleanups.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Kitchen
    How difficult was this challenge for you? What made it easy or difficult?
    Alexis DeRose's avatar
    Alexis DeRose 7/25/2023 8:54 AM
    I feel like each year, the challenge of skipping plastic bags gets easier and easier! Now, I almost exclusively use reusable bags since there is a plastic bag ban in NJ.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Kitchen
    How does swapping out prepackaged snacks for fresh fruit or veggies benefit your family?
    Alexis DeRose's avatar
    Alexis DeRose 7/18/2023 7:07 AM
    Swapping out prepackage snacks has prompted a lot less waste out of our house in regards to wrappers, bags, etc. Instead, we all have been reaching more for the fruits and veggies (which are, admittedly, much tastier this time of year since there is a lot of jersey produce in season) - which is also a healthier decision for all of us!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Family + Pets
    Had you ever considered the environmental impact of balloons before? How can you share this information with your friends and family to encourage them to avoid balloons, too?
    Alexis DeRose's avatar
    Alexis DeRose 7/11/2023 10:00 AM
    I have considered the impact of balloons on the environment, but I do think that comes hand-in-hand with the fact that from a young age I had an interest in marine biology, then went to school for it, then went into a job in an aquarium. I often don't talk about the sea turtles at the aquarium without mentioning the impact of balloons and plastic bags for their species. But, I do think that maybe my knowledge of just HOW much of an impact balloons had just scratched the surface. For example, I didn't realize that balloon are playing a part in a helium shortage! Furthermore, I didn't realize helium served a purpose other than filling balloons (am I alone? who is to say).... and was really surprised to read that a lot of medical equipment like MRI's runs on helium, as well. Over the past few years, the cost for helium has gone up over 30%.. I'm sure that comes through in the prices we pay when we seek medical care, as if it wasn't expensive enough! Luckily, since my whole job is pretty much education, I think this snippet of information would be really cool to build into my Ocean Realm Talks!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Study
    Recycling right requires both systemic change and personal and community awareness. How can you expand what you've learned about the chasing arrows symbol to encourage broader changes in your community?
    Alexis DeRose's avatar
    Alexis DeRose 7/10/2023 10:00 AM
    I think that we can have an impact just by further educating the people directly around you - the people you share your home with and for me, the people that share the GE hallway with me! After reading through a couple of the learn more articles for this action, I learned a lot and can make a few more educated choices than I did yesterday. Like, for example, the carton water that is touted everywhere to be more sustainable. If I was confronted with purchasing that or a plastic water bottle yesterday, I may have gone with the paper carton thinking I was making a better decision (I use a reusable water bottle, though, no worries..). While carton and plastic both aren't ideal, it seems that the plastic bottle can be recycled easier than the carton, since the carton is made up of several materials that would have to be separated, but that won't happen in the current recycling process. I think if the signage that we use in the breakroom that gives a really solid breakdown of what can go where, what is recyclable, what isn't... If that was more readily available for us to display at home and our other behind the scenes areas, that could be a really quick, but efficient effort for change!
    Read More
  • Alexis DeRose's avatar
    Alexis DeRose 7/03/2023 7:12 PM
    On vacation this week - Sometimes being somewhere that isn’t home poses a new challenge when trying to commit to making better choices! I’m working hard to follow through a lot of my chosen actions, still, like using reusable containers for my fruits and veggies and skipping straws!
    Read More
  • Alexis DeRose's avatar
    Alexis DeRose 6/18/2023 8:08 AM
    This is my third year doing the ecochallenge!! Super excited to be involved and trying out new challenges this year :-)
    Read More