Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums

Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2023

July 1 - July 31, 2023

Tonia Wu

NJDEP-SAGE EcoLogicals

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,201 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

plastic bottle

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

14

pieces of plastic cutlery

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

45

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

315

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted

Tonia's actions

Bathroom

Sustainable Suds

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Study

Learn about Plastic Production

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Research Local Waste Sites

I will spend 60 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bedroom

Eco Detergent

I will use laundry detergent that is packaged in glass or aluminum, or an alternative like soap nuts.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Skip Plastic Bags

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

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Cook a Plastic Free Meal

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

COMPLETED 2
DAILY 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

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

Bathroom

Pearly Whites

I will switch to a plastic-free toothpaste — whether purchased or DIY'd.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bedroom

Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will spend 45 minutes learning about the costs of fast fashion and begin trying to practice sustainable fashion in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Minimize Packaging

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

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Use Reusable Utensils

I will keep 1 plastic cutlery out of the landfill per day by using my own reusable cutlery.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Learn about Environmental Justice

Using the action resource links below, my family will spend 45 minutes learning about environmental justice, causes of environmental injustice, and how plastic waste disproportionately impacts already vulnerable communities.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Choose Reusable Food Storage

I will only use reusable containers instead of single-use plastic storage items (such as plastic wrap, single-use sandwich bags).

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Plant a Garden

I will plant an herb or vegetable garden using as little plastic as possible and to save from the plastic used buying herbs and veggies.

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

Community

Tour A Waste Management Facility

I will spend at least 30 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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family + Pets

Discover Together

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

Landfills and recycling centers tell us a lot about our communities and purchasing habits. What did you glean from your tour?
Tonia Wu 7/27/2023 11:09 AM
So many bottled/canned beverages...The amount of material these facilities go through every day is crazy! It's neat to see all the clever ways they've come up with to separate the different materials, but it's obviously a very labor and energy-intensive process. And then where does it all go? Plastics degrade each time they're recycled, so they can't be recycled forever, and there's evidence that they increase in toxicity after every transformation.

We drastically need to cut the amount of plastic we use, full stop - especially single-use. That will also help to cut our dependence on fossils, since most plastics are still derived from oil, natural gas and coal.

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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?
Tonia Wu 7/18/2023 1:40 PM
Yikes - if everyone lived like me, we would need 4 Earths. This doesn't really surprise me - despite some green habits and not shopping much, I do consume animal products, live in a suburban house and drive a lot. I am working on reducing my food miles, relying more on local farms that are using regenerative farming practices. I will also look at ways to reduce energy usage at home and fix up my bike to reduce the amount I drive.

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- Kathleen Hitchner 7/19/2023 10:13 PM
  LOL! Don't feel bad, Tonia - I live so far from work, I used to joke that my carbon footprint was the size of an oil tanker!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

In what neighborhoods or areas of your region are landfills or other waste sites located? Which communities are most affected by these locations?
Tonia Wu 7/15/2023 5:16 AM
Most of my town is a designated "overburdened community", according to NJ's environmental justice mapping tool. Not surprising, considering it's home to a superfund site: The Landfill & Development Co. site, a 200 acre-closed landfill which occupies the southeast part of Mt. Holly and into Lumberton and Easthampton. The site started out as a sand and gravel pit in the 1940's, then was used as a dump beginning in 1962, first for demolition debris, then for industrial and commercial solid waste and sludge. The landfill ceased operations in 1986 after reaching capacity, but not before contaminating nearby shallow aquifers with toxic VOCs.

Nowadays, it's mainly experienced as a large, though relatively inoffensive grassy hillock by people driving by on Rt 38. There are leachate and methane gas collection systems, and solar panels on top. The contaminated shallow aquifers are still unusable. It's crazy to me that a landfill like this was placed so close to town, but I suspect the working-class makeup of the community at the time had more than a little to do with it...We still live in a very unjust society, but I appreciate NJ's increasing focus in recent years on environmental justice. Progress is not made in a straight line, nor is it guaranteed; we have to keep pushing.

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- Kathleen Hitchner 7/19/2023 10:30 PM
  Thanks for the history lesson, Tonia, and your astute observations.
  
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Tonia Wu 7/10/2023 1:56 PM
In my continuing quest for a plastic-free caesar salad, I went looking for a parmesan cheese that did not come wrapped in plastic film...but even at what I considered to be among the crunchiest of green grocery stores that boasted many bulk buying options and organic pasture-raised everything, the plastic was everywhere. Alas, the quest continues...

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- Lydia Roe 7/12/2023 1:05 PM
  Good luck! Cheese seems like it might be the final frontier of plastic wrap since it's so perishable but still requires processing from raw materials...
  
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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?
Tonia Wu 7/08/2023 11:26 AM
Today I went to a zero-waste refill store where you can bring your own glass bottles. I'd never been before, but the cashier was nice enough to show me how it worked. They had free glass jars and bottles that people had donated, or you could buy one of their tinted glass jars. I opted for a free bottle that had once held blue-cheese salad dressing.

The bottle already had the tare weight (weight of the container sans product) written on it, but there was a little weigh station where you could tare your own containers. Then you just fill it up with shampoo or whatever, as much or as little of as you like, paying only for the product. I didn't fill it up all the way as this was the first time I was using this brand of shampoo - it's nice to know that if I didn't like it, I wouldn't have wasted a whole bottle.

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- Kathleen Hitchner 7/19/2023 10:56 PM
  So cool! I want to try that.
  
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- Ray Pogwist 7/13/2023 5:40 AM
  When at the Jersey shore , check out... Unwrapped on Cookman Ave, Asbury Park. No plastic, bring your own container. Got a great shaving bar and a shampoo bar there. Great for traveling and for camping.
  
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- Tonia Wu 7/10/2023 3:05 PM
  this one was in Haddon Twp! (Refill Market) - I just searched for "zero-waste store" in Google maps. Some grocery stores that offer bulk goods also do refillable for things like dishwashing soap, etc.
  
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- Lydia Roe 7/10/2023 9:54 AM
  Wow, that sounds very cool. I'll have to see if there's a store near my house!
  
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- Victoria Hyland 7/09/2023 12:28 PM
  Oooo that zero waste store sounds very cool! We do not have one near me, but I should try and make a trip out to one.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Study

What did you learn about how plastic production impacts humans, animals, communities, and the environment? Which of these impacts specifically affects your community?
Tonia Wu 7/07/2023 11:27 AM
Plastic poses risks to human and non-human health at every stage of its life cycle: extraction, transport, production, use/consumption, and disposal. Every stage of this process releases toxic chemicals into the air, water, land, or directly into our bodies. The sheer quantity and variety of mysterious chemicals released into the environment from the plastics is mind-boggling.

I don’t think there are oil and gas extraction facilities, or plastic production/refining facilities near where I live, but I don’t know for sure. We are definitely exposed to toxic chemicals through every-day consumer products; the plastic packaging on many grocery items, plastic bottles, personal care products, synthetic-fiber clothing, furniture and bedding. Microplastics are in the air, dust and water so I’m breathing it in and eating and drinking it as well.

The stuff never goes away, just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces. That plastic straw from the juice box I had when I was 5 is still out there somewhere. A piece of it may be embedded in my lungs at this very moment! Talk about karma…

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Kitchen

How can you be an advocate for using reusables instead of disposables for the rest of your community? Where are they currently dependent on disposable food packaging or eating utensils, and how can you convince them of the need for change?
Tonia Wu 7/06/2023 8:10 AM
I keep a set of cheap metal cutlery in my desk at work. Whenever I go out to eat in Trenton, I usually bring some with me to use at the restaurant. Most lunch places around here just do takeout and automatically give out plastic utensils and containers - many of them don't have seating for customers to eat-in, and/or may not have the staff, space, time or equipment for collecting and washing reusable utensils, even if they wanted to.

As long as a critical mass of customers still expect disposable utensils to be available, I think most businesses will keep giving them out and won’t bother to invest in alternatives – short of a top-down ban, like with the single-use bags. As with many of our current environmental problems, it’s a symptom of a deeper cultural ill - namely our decades-old addiction to fast food, (fast everything), and on-the-go convenience, reinforced by an economic system that generates widespread time-poverty.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Kitchen

Do an inventory of your kitchen to see how many single-use plastics you've used in the past. What are some resuable alternatives to these commonly used products? What would your impact be if you switched all the single-use products from your inventory to reusable?
Tonia Wu 7/03/2023 3:23 PM
This is going to be really hard... SO many things at the grocery store are packaged in plastic, and I still have to use up all the stuff I bought the last time I went grocery shopping...Yesterday I made a caesar salad - the romaine came from the CSA, but the croutons definitely came in a plastic bag, and the pre-shredded parmesan cheese came in a plastic bin, so failed that one. Some grocery stores sell goods in bulk, like rice, beans coffee, etc. but I'm not in the habit of using them...YET.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Kitchen

How difficult was this challenge for you? What made it easy or difficult?
Tonia Wu 7/02/2023 4:23 AM
NJ's plastic bag ban has made "skipping the bag" very easy to do since you don’t have to choose. There are still plastic produce bags, though reusable alternatives are not hard to find.

We're lucky enough this year to have a farm about six miles from our house that offers a CSA program. Shareholders pay a certain amount upfront at the start of the year and get a portion of the farm's produce throughout the growing season. On pickup days, the veggies are laid out in bins and you just come with your own bags to collect. Since the produce comes pretty much straight from the field it doesn't need packaging of any kind.

In grocery stores you have loose vegetables, but there are also sometimes veggies pre-wrapped in plastic or on Styrofoam trays, presumably to protect them as they're shipped cross-country. As the pandemic showed, these kinds of long supply chains can be fragile and in a potentially energy-constrained future are not guaranteed to survive. Re-localizing our food as much as possible helps build local resilience while eliminating a lot of shipping and packaging along the way!

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