Barb Blades

Nashville Zoo

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
194 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

90

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

4.0

pieces of litter

picked up
UP TO

6.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted

Barb's actions

Lifestyle

Naked Bins

I will either line my trash cans with repurposed newspaper or paper bags, or I will not line my trash cans at all.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

Brusha Brusha Brusha

I will replace my plastic toothbrush with a bamboo toothbrush.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Fresh as a Daisy

I will use deodorant either from a bar or a jar or I will make my own.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

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

Community

Estimate Your Plastic Consumption and Go #PlasticNeutral

I will visit rePurpose website, complete the 3-minute plastic consumption calculator, and explore how I can reBalance my annual plastic footprint.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Lather Up

I will replace my soaps, shampoos, and conditions with either a bar or refillable option.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Use Reusable Containers

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

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Lifestyle

Watch a Documentary

I will watch a documentary film about waste with family and friends and talk about what we learned.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 2 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.

To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Personal Care Brusha Brusha Brusha

What are the benefits of switching to bamboo toothbrushes? How would you implore others in your community to make this switch as well?

Barb Blades 8/05/2019 12:58 PM

If you think about it, what kind of chemicals are you putting in your mouth everyday from the plastic. Would it be so hard to change if it would help the environment? Maybe if more people made the change maybe big corporations would jump on it and think, "hey I can get more business if I offer bamboo"?

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle Naked Bins

Does changing the lining of your waste bin change the kind or amount of trash you produce?

Barb Blades 8/05/2019 12:52 PM

yes it does! I have to think about the things I'm throwing away and why I have them in the first place that I would not want to put them in a paper liner.
Now I rethink when I buy how I would dispose of certain items. I use the local recycle plant for items I would never throw away-light bulbs, batteries and such.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Estimate Your Plastic Consumption and Go #PlasticNeutral

What did you find out about your plastic consumption by using the calculator? What did or didn't surprise you?

Barb Blades 8/05/2019 12:45 PM

I was surprised how much I actually use. I thought, because I recycle, that I was doing great. I'm doing good but, can do much better. On something's I did better than I thought. I know more now and am willing to make necessary changes to help our environment.

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Barb Blades 8/05/2019 12:28 PM

I joined the challenge to see how much more I can make a difference. There are many things I already do, compost, garden, recycle, pick up trash, watch educational shows on saving the environment, use my own recyclable bags when shopping...but I wanted to know how there were other ways and I learned so much. I never realized how many items are sold in my grocery store in plastic containers. Even if I recycle-that's a lot. Now I try to find other ways to decrease my plastic usage. I'm more aware and more creative on buying, using (or not using) plastics.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Use Reusable Containers

How can you think outside the box (or bag!) when it comes to disposables?

Barb Blades 8/05/2019 12:21 PM

I became more aware how many items in the store are in plastic. I have cut down drastically on single use and feel much better in helping the environment

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Personal Care Fresh as a Daisy

Do some research on the toxic side affects of aluminum deodorant. After reading the side effects, can you think of instances where you may have experienced the side effects from this form of deodorant?

Barb Blades 7/29/2019 6:23 AM

I do not see that I have really suffered any side effects but, I'm now doing research on whether having dense breasts is normal or a contribution from aluminum. I do use organic deodorant at least 2 times a week but now need to just switch over to it completely.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Personal Care Lather Up

What are the economic and personal benefits of switching to bar soap/shampoo/conditioner or refillable bottle options?

Barb Blades 7/29/2019 6:07 AM

I have always used bar soap and in the last 15 years used organic shampoo. I'm currently looking for refillable stores for my shampoo/conditioner

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle Complete a Waste Audit

What did you learn about the waste you create? Where can you reduce the most?

Barb Blades 7/29/2019 5:59 AM

I never realized I used so much plastic. I recycle but, it's lots of paper and lots of plastic.
I'm more aware when I shop and ask: do I really need that one single item?
I can reduce by making better choices grocery shopping.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Keep My Community Clean

How does the act of picking up litter connect you more to your community?

Barb Blades 7/18/2019 6:07 AM

I actually already have this habit but need to be more consistent at it.

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