Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums

Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2023

July 1 - July 31, 2023

Emily Moore

National Aquarium

"Cutting down on plastics one action at a time :)"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
995 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

plastic bottle

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

2.0

advocacy actions

completed
UP TO

2.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

13

pieces of litter

picked up
UP TO

15

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

10

minutes

spent learning

Emily 's actions

Kitchen

Clean Plate Club

When I need to replace my dish soap, I will switch to a bar or refillable option.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Minimize Packaging

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

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Skip Plastic Bags

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

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Study

Buy Only What I Need

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

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Family + Pets

Discover Together

I will spend 5 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bathroom

Brush with Bamboo

I will replace my plastic toothbrush with a bamboo toothbrush.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

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

Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will spend 10 minutes learning about the costs of fast fashion and begin trying to practice sustainable fashion in my own life.

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

Study

Say No to Styrofoam

Throughout its life cycle, polystyrene (styrofoam) can harm people, communities, and the planet. I will refuse styrofoam whenever I can, making sure to kindly let people know why I'm asking for alternative packaging.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Bathroom

Travel Toiletries

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 1 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Bathroom

Sustainable Suds

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bedroom

Ditch Dryer Sheets

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family + Pets

Invest in a Pooper-Scooper

I will swap out my single use plastic bags for a pooper-scooper.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Study

As you have reduced your spending, what have you noticed about your 'health and safety' purchasing habits? How might this change your longer term purchasing decisions?
Emily Moore 7/20/2023 5:05 AM
I have noticed that I need a lot less for my health and safety aka basic needs than I thought. This has made me think twice about what I keep on my person and thus what I'm buying and replacing regularly. I have realized that I do not need to spend or consume as much throughout my day to be successful, Now to just cut down on the amount of coffee I drink :)

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Bedroom

How can you express your personality, creativity, and values in ways that don't require fast fashion or buying more clothes and accessories?
Emily Moore 7/17/2023 4:55 AM
Checking out thrift stores to purchase used clothes instead of new as well as checking out more eco friendly brands when looking for new items. Also being conscious of what I already have and trying to purchase less since I have a more simplistic style anyway.

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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.
Emily Moore 7/16/2023 6:43 AM
The thing that concerns me the most are the negative human impacts that are hard or impossible to reverse. It is incredibly important to always try and lessen our negative impact but there are many who either do not have the ability to alter their lifestyles or are unwilling to do so. There needs to be a united front or effort to make those bigger changes and that is going to be difficult.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Kitchen

How difficult was this challenge for you? What made it easy or difficult?
Emily Moore 7/16/2023 6:39 AM
Cute and colorful tote bags made this challenge easier but trying to remember to keep them with me or in my car is really challenging for me and definitely what I need to work on.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

How does the act of picking up litter connect you more to your community?
Emily Moore 7/16/2023 6:37 AM
It makes me feel like I'm playing a role in keeping it clean and taking care of it like you would a family member or pet.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Study

How might styrofoam be an environmental justice and/or environmental racism issue in your community?
Emily Moore 7/06/2023 11:49 AM
Styrofoam is a cheaper product to make/buy for many businesses or people who cannot afford the more expensive renewable or even plastic alternatives. This is an issue of environmental justice issue because you have to consider the economic disparity of different people in different areas.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Family + Pets

How are caring for your pet and caring for the environment connected for you?
Emily Moore 7/03/2023 2:17 PM
Caring for my pet is like caring for the environment, my pet is an animal that is affected by its surroundings, wild or not. This way when I care about my cat or lizard I am reminded that animals not under human care don't have someone personally looking out for them so we must all do our part to protect them and our environment since they go hand in hand.

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- Debra Debra Lee Norton Wear 7/03/2023 9:08 PM
  Absolutely !! Caring for our pets and other animals is critical. Ok this 4th of July we need to be especially mindful of the impact of fireworks on animals and find ways to shield them from the loud noises
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Bathroom

What is the benefit of using bar soaps or refilling your travel sized containers? Is this an action you think you will keep in your life?
Emily Moore 7/02/2023 2:37 PM
The benefit is not only the limiting of single use plastics but I now have a compact and easy way to bring my favorite products with me when I travel without the whole huge heavy bottle. I love refilling my little travel bottles even if they were intended to be a single use plastic because I know that now they aren't and yay fun smelling soap! I think I will keep doing this, my mom always did so it's pretty engrained into me now :)

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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?
Emily Moore 7/02/2023 2:32 PM
I switched my soap to a refillable dispenser and instead buy the big bottles of soap to fill it with, While I haven't found a big refillable jug that avoids using plastic I only go through one bottle of soap now every 4 to 6 months and am saving money on top of that! plus my soap dispenser is shaped like a snail :)

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- Patricia Jonas 7/03/2023 3:07 AM
  That is an awesome dispenser and a real conversation starter about alternatives to single use plastics.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Bathroom

What are the benefits of switching to bamboo toothbrushes? How would you implore others in your community to make this switch as well?
Emily Moore 7/02/2023 2:30 PM
the benefits are as simple as cutting down on plastics! we don't wear down the plastic toothbrushes and have to replace them anymore. I would implore others in my community to do the same by asking them how many toothbrushes they think they've used in their life and how much trash that has created and thus how much better it would be to switch!

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