Katie Wooddell

Newport Aquarium

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
345 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

22

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

2.0

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

2.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

35

minutes

spent learning

Katie's actions

Kitchen

Fill a Water Bottle

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 5 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Skip Plastic Bags

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

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Kitchen

Go Strawless

I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill per day by refusing straws or using my own reusable straw.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Kitchen

Minimize Packaging

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

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Become a Recycling Pro

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 10 minutes researching which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community and recycle only those items.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Study

Complete a Waste Audit

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Study

Estimate Your Ecological Footprint

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Study

Dig into Bioplastics

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching the impacts of bioplastics and how to properly dispose of them in my city, and I will share this information with 3 friends, family, and/or colleagues.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Tour A Waste Management Facility

I will spend at least 15 minute(s) touring (virtually or in person) a local dump/transfer station, material recovery facility, and/or landfill to learn about our local waste and waste recovery streams.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Study

What did you learn about your ecological footprint by using the calculator? What did or didn't surprise you? What are some ways you will take action to reduce your footprint?
Katie Wooddell 7/23/2023 3:16 PM
I was reminded how heavily the amount of meat and the footprint of our food really impacts our personal footprint. It wasn’t surprising to see but was a god reminder. I’ve used this ecological footprint calculator before (in high school) and not much has changed for me since other than the amount I drive places alone now. I was surprised when I saw that my overshoot day had moved back from July to March and my earths required moved up as well due to the lifestyle changes I’ve had since leaving school. The most feasible ways for me to reduce my footprint now are reducing my family’s meat intake and the number of solo car trips I make for sure.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Kitchen

With the added mindfulness of reducing your packaging, what have you noticed about the amount and type of single use plastics used for packaging when you shop in the grocery store?
Katie Wooddell 7/15/2023 9:05 AM
I’m starting to realize that even as you reduce the packaging on your food, there are still tons of flat plastics being used on groceries. For example, if I go to the delhi instead of the pre packed section for meat or cheese, it’s handed out in a zip loc bag. I noticed a lot of flat plastic is used in produce too. Even when you pull your own fruits and vegetables, the general expectation I grew up with is that you use a plastic bag for every type of produce you grab. It starts to add up quickly! I did see a couple of people using crochet produce bags which sound like a nice weekend project since I already have the yarn at home.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

What have you learned about what is accepted by local haulers for recycling, what you can drop off or ship to certain places, and what is not recyclable in your area? What is the most difficult part of recycling for you?
Katie Wooddell 7/15/2023 8:55 AM
I decided to do some research on what my curbside recycling won’t take and while I was unsurprised to see they won’t take recycling in a plastic bag, the number of other things they can’t recycle was shocking! My family, for example always rinses out our tubs before we put them in the bin but we leave the lids off because they’re still damp. As it turns out, they can’t recycle loose lids. I also took a look at what was in our bin and found some items that seem like recyclable plastic but were actually polystyrene, which our company doesn’t take, like this takeout container! I even discovered that plastic solo cups aren’t recyclable because they’re the same material. Looks like my family will be adjusting how we approach our recycling some more! 😅

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