Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums

Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2019

July 1 - July 31, 2019

Hillary Bohm

Plastic Free New Orleans

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,209 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

3.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

90

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

29

pieces of litter

picked up
UP TO

90

pieces of plastic cutlery

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

53

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

25

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted

Hillary's actions

Personal Care

Brusha Brusha Brusha

I will replace my plastic toothbrush with a bamboo toothbrush.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Dam the Flow

I will use a menstrual cup and/or cloth pads

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Write Letters or Emails

I will write 1 letter(s) or email(s) per day to a public official or company to advocate for planet-friendly policies.

COMPLETED 25
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Raise Money For a Nonprofit

I will raise money to support a nonprofit dedicated to plastic pollution reduction.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Takeout Pro

I will use my own containers when ordering takeout.

COMPLETED 27
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

Pearly Whites

I will purchase toothpaste in an aluminum tube or in a glass jar or make my own!

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Keep My Community Clean

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

COMPLETED 29
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

That Was a Close Shave

I will replace my disposable razors with steel razors. Why not try using hair conditioner instead of shaving foam for that baby smooth feel?

COMPLETED
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

Food

Use Reusables at Work

I will use reusable dishes and silverware when eating at work.

COMPLETED 26
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

Fresh as a Daisy

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Use Reusable Utensils

I will keep 3 plastic cutlery out of the landfill per day by using my own reusable cutlery.

COMPLETED 30
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

Food

Advocate For More Food Packaging Options

I will advocate for alternatives to single use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, or work.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Create Your Own Action

Gloves

Try to reduce the amount of gloves I use in food prep and be more thoughtful about using them

COMPLETED 16
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?

Hillary Bohm 7/31/2019 5:46 PM

I didn’t complete one of my challenges this month, but all year, I should be trying to improve my habits so I will get to it eventually! 😄

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Hillary Bohm 7/31/2019 5:44 PM

Great job to everyone who challenged themselves in any way this month! Be proud of yourself! Hopefully these challengers will lead to new sustainable habits!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Advocate For More Food Packaging Options

Single use plastics have become normalized in our society to the point that most people don't see them as a problem. What would you say to a friend, colleague, or family member who may not understand why these disposables are an issue?

Hillary Bohm 7/31/2019 5:42 PM

I would talk about how even if recycled or thrown away plastic can enter the environment, and I would explain how long and how it degrades. I would also tell them about how producing plastics is causing climate change due to all the oil used to manufacture it.

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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?

Hillary Bohm 7/30/2019 6:41 PM

After researching the side effects of aluminum deodorant, I actually found out that it most likely does not a pose a risk to Alzheimer's disease or cancer, which is surprising to me. I did find that it can cause allergic reactions which I feel like has happened to me a few times depending on deodorant brand. Nonetheless, even though aluminum deodorant’s link to cancer is not strongly correlated, I switched it out for bar deodorant for a more eco friendly, natural, zero plastic option!

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Hillary Bohm 7/28/2019 6:36 PM

Visited the beach this weekend. Sad to see how careless people can be when they litter especially right by the water. :,(

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Raise Money For a Nonprofit

What are organizations in your region doing to address plastic pollution or other related issues? How can you support them?

Hillary Bohm 7/28/2019 6:34 PM

Many local organizations are helping members of the community use green products and energy efficient products like rain barrels and energy efficient lightbulbs. I can support these organizations by volunteering with them, donating to them, and publicizing them.

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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?

Hillary Bohm 7/27/2019 10:31 AM

From my waste audit, I learned I still use a lot of plastic because I enjoy eating yogurt. I was also surprised at how many paper towels O used in day because I never think about that. It is wasteful of my to do so when I can just use an old rag in most cases

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle Watch a Documentary

Which documentary did you choose to watch? What did you learn?

Hillary Bohm 7/26/2019 11:31 AM

I watched Mission Blue. I learned about the fishing industry and how many fish and shark populations were depleted. I learned about actions being done to prevent fishing and promote eco tourism in Sylvia A Earl’s creation of hope spots that don’t allow fishing or drilling there.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Personal Care Dam the Flow

Disposable tampons and menstrual pads are often quite expensive. What are the economic and personal benefits of this switch for you?

Hillary Bohm 7/20/2019 7:43 PM

Using a menstrual cup is a lot more cost effective in the long run, being cheap compared to most feminine products when time is considered. They urge people to be more open about menstruation and produce zero waste, unlike most other feminine products. They are great to help girls in poverty who may miss school because of menstruation.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Takeout Pro

How could you mitigate issues that may arise if the restaurant does not want to let you use your own containers at first?

Hillary Bohm 7/20/2019 7:39 PM

If a restaurant does not want me to use my own to go container at first, I will explain why it is important to me that I use my own containerand more beneficial to the environment if I do so.

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