Colleen McKeon

Although a long-standing festive tradition, balloons are harmful for animals and the environment. I will spend 30 learning about the dangers of balloons and find eco-friendly alternatives to use instead.

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

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

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

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

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 30 minutes researching which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community and recycle only those items.

I will give a shout-out on social media to a local company, coworker, friend or family member for their plastic free or green efforts.

If traveling, I will reuse my old travel tubes to refill with my soaps or only bring bar soaps with me.

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

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

I will spend 30 minutes learning about the costs of fast fashion and begin trying to practice sustainable fashion in my own life.

I will make my own cleaning products or choose plastic-free, refillable options.

I will prepare my own pet treats to avoid plastic packaging.

I will use a rubber glove to remove pet hair from clothes, carpets and furniture.

I will paint rooms in my home with low/no VOC or natural paints.

I will replace my pet's shampoo with an eco-friendly shampoo bar or refillable shampoo option.

I will host a watch party with friends and/or colleagues to watch and discuss a movie about plastics.

I will conduct a waste audit - including recyclables and compost - to understand how much waste I create and where I can reduce the most.

I will calculate my ecological footprint, and from the results brainstorm and take action on ways I can reduce my annual footprint.

I will spend 30 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.

I will make my environmental actions visible by sharing about them on my social media networks and the Plastic Free Ecochallenge participant feed.

I will pick up 10 piece(s) of litter each day.

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

I will give my pets natural alternatives to toys like femur bones and antlers, canvas, natural rubber, hemp, rope or cotton toys. Or make our own toys from recycled items found in our home!

Plastic production, not just disposal, pollutes communities and harms people. I will learn about the impacts of plastic production on humans, animals, communities, and the environment.

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.

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