Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums

Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2023

July 1 - July 31, 2023

Erica Minyard

"To take small, actionable steps to reduce the amount of plastic I use and make more environmentally friendly, informed choices in my day to day life "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,246 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

3.0

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

4.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

28

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

13

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

41

minutes

spent learning

Erica's actions

Kitchen

Use a Reusable Mug

If possible, I will avoid sending 1 disposable cup(s) to the landfill per day by using a reusable mug or bringing my own travel cup.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Skip Plastic Bags

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

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Bedroom

Ditch Dryer Sheets

I will use wool dryer balls or another plastic-free alternative to dryer sheets to keep my clothes static-free.

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bathroom

See the Green

I will recycle used contact lenses and packaging.

COMPLETED 19
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

Bedroom

Buy second hand clothing for work

It avoids fast fashion trends and is more cost effective for me. It also helps prevent a still usable piece of clothing from going to the landfill.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bathroom

Sustainable Suds

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Study

Buy Only What I Need

I will not buy anything except items required for health and safety.

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Recycle for others

When possible, I will pick up other people’s items that could have been recycled and put them in a recycling bin.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Share My Actions

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

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Family + Pets

Discover Together

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

Erica Minyard 7/31/2023 6:44 PM
This was a really cool challenge. I look forward to keeping these habits and integrating more plastic free habits in my life in the future.

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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?
Erica Minyard 7/30/2023 6:19 PM
I can write in to law makers to have them enact laws to mandate companies to be responsible for the end of life of their products and prevent them from using the arrows on products that aren’t actually recyclable.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Study

Were you surprised by what the different plastic identification numbers mean? How can this information help you become a better recycler?
Erica Minyard 7/30/2023 5:48 PM
The numbers don’t mean that all places will recycle the product. I had thought that numbers 1-7 were safe bets to recycle but apparently number 6 is often not able to be recycled. I can keep more items that are not recyclable out of the recycling.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Bedroom

Often, single-use and disposable products don't just create more trash - they also contain toxins that are bad for humans. What are some other single-use items that are harmful to humans?
Erica Minyard 7/30/2023 5:45 PM
Tampons can cause toxic shock syndrome which is awful and yet they are mass marketed to people who have periods with little emphasis on the dangers of using them.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Bathroom

What are the economic and personal benefits of switching to bar soap/shampoo/conditioner or refillable bottle options?
Erica Minyard 7/30/2023 5:43 PM
It seems that the product goes farther. My hand-soap bar lasted for three months which I think is longer than my liquid soap container. I helped support my location economy because I bought the hand-soap from a soap maker at the farmer’s market.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

Have you noticed a difference in how your community, friends, and family members use plastics since you've shared your own actions?
Erica Minyard 7/30/2023 5:41 PM
My parents have started taking action themselves to refuse single use plastic in areas of their lives they hadn’t before.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Family + Pets

What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.
Erica Minyard 7/30/2023 5:40 PM
The amount of material waste humans produce is concerning me. We have focused so much on making things for money that we don’t consider where all of the stuff goes when we don’t use it anymore.

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Erica Minyard 7/28/2023 12:56 PM
While going out for a walk, I picked up 3 empty plastic water bottles and one soda can to recycle once I was back from my walk.

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- Joanna Caputa 7/28/2023 2:15 PM
  Thank you for doing that. There is something very humble but noble in a person who is willing to do that.
  
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Erica Minyard 7/19/2023 7:03 PM
Today I collected 12 plastic water bottles from an event I was at and took them home to recycle them since there was no recycle bin at the event.

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Erica Minyard 7/15/2023 7:09 PM
I find it funny that focusing on one goal can sometimes add to ignoring other ways we can reduce plastic consumption. For example, opting to use paper bags at the grocery store instead of plastic bags. Then on that same trip, trying a new product because it’s convenient and not realizing it’s not aligned with reducing plastic use because it’s a bag of individual items wrapped in plastic.

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