Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums

Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2019

July 1 - July 31, 2019

Melanie Gardner

Saugerties Green Team

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
407 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

5.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

340

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

33

pieces of plastic cutlery

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

11

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

21

zero-waste meals

consumed

Melanie's actions

Food

Skip the Straw

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

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Minimize Packaging

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

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Cook a Zero-Plastic Waste Meal

I will prepare 3 meal(s) at home each day without using any items packaged in single-use plastic.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Lifestyle

Travel Smart

If traveling, I will bring my own plastic free items (water bottle, grocery bags, collapsible food containers, utensils, straws, etc.) with me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Make Your Own

I will try new recipe(s) or food preparation method(s) each day, such as canning, pickling, making yogurt, or baking granola bars or bread.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

Lather Up

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Homemade Cleaners

I will make my own cleaning products at home.

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 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Lifestyle

Travel Eating

If traveling, I will bring my own airplane snacks and eat at local restaurants to avoid take-out containers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Pets

Pet Waste

I will spend 10 minutes learning how to compost pet waste at home or research pet waste composting services available in my area.

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

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
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?

Melanie Gardner 7/13/2019 3:41 PM

For the not-so-environmentally minded, I'd probably have the best success talking to them about how much money can be saved by avoiding the single use plastic lifestyle. I think it would also be impactful if I carried around a couple of photos of the mega ocean swath of plastic waste and wildlife victims.

Read More
- Melanie Gardner 7/14/2019 6:08 AM
  
  Omg, is this for real? It's definitely a good one to show people - I'm going to download it. Thanks
  
  Read More
- Vivian Beatrice 7/14/2019 5:36 AM
  
  This is CRAZY!!
  If a picture like this doesn’t make people think about their plastic use I don’t know what will. :(
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Personal Care Lather Up

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

Melanie Gardner 7/13/2019 3:22 PM

It's cheaper for one thing, except perhaps for locally made artisanal soaps (though you're supporting your community by purchasing locally made products). It seems like bar soap should much more easily be bought in bulk (though I haven't yet) without having to be in a plastic container. Back when everyone used bar soaps some used to complain about winding up with soap slivers, but of course you can still use those.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Pets Pet Waste

By composting your pet waste, you are turning waste into nutrients to feed the soil. In what other ways can you turn waste into a resource in your life?

Melanie Gardner 7/13/2019 3:14 PM

Sheesh, I don't know what I'd do with pet waste other than compost - what else could you do? The only thing that comes to mind is that in some cultures cow patties are used as fuel for fire, but I kind of doubt you could do anything like that with dog or cat waste

Read More
- Susan J Murphy 7/29/2019 11:29 AM
  
  Wow, this is a new idea for me... I've understood that it's not safe to compost animal waste, because of the risk of pathogens and pests, such as intestinal worms. If it's REAL compost (heats up) it should be okay, but my compost bin never heats up enough -- it's actually a big worm bin. The worms wouldn't mind some animal waste, but what about the potential pathogens?
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle Travel Eating

Was this action easy or difficult to do? How did it change your travel experience?

Melanie Gardner 7/13/2019 3:10 PM

Again, planning ahead seems to make all the difference when it comes to reducing plastic consumption, not taking too much time, and economizing. So it may seem difficult at first to get into the mode, but you wind up feeling glad you did.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle Homemade Cleaners

What did you learn by making your own cleaning products? What is the biggest difference in making vs buying?

Melanie Gardner 7/10/2019 3:44 PM

I learned - to be perfectly honest - that I didn't think my home made cleaners would work as well as "store bought". But so far they seem to be doing okay. For example I love the fact that I was able to unclog my kitchen drain with vinegar, salt, and baking soda instead using toxic chemicals. Next is to make my own laundry detergent. I want to find one of those big sun tea containers with the spout on the bottom, to dispense the soap as needed. Three of the four ingredients are fairly cheap - baking soda, super washing soda, and water. The fourth ingredient, castile soap, was eleven bucks at Mother Earth's for a 16 ounce bottle which was - unfortunately - plastic :0( If anyone else has tried home made laundry soap, please let me know what you think.

Read More
- Susan J Murphy 7/29/2019 11:34 AM
  
  People here at Cantine's Island CoHousing are starting to use home-made laundry detergent, but I confess that I am skeptical, so far -- I guess I ought to give it a try.
  My favorite home-made cleaning product: soak organic citrus peels and whole cloves in white vinegar for a couple of weeks, then strain out the solids and use as an all-purpose cleaner. It combines the cleaning power of vinegar, the grease-cutting power of citrus oil, and the antibacterial power of cloves. I keep a spray bottle of it handy and use it frequently.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Make Your Own

How do you feel about being more involved in the food preparation process? Joyful, overwhelmed, engaged, empowered? What are the benefits of choosing to process or produce your own food instead of buying it pre-processed?

Melanie Gardner 7/10/2019 2:27 PM

I feel fortunate to have more time than most to prepare my own food, since I retired last year. Even so, making things from scratch wouldn't have to be such a time-suck if you really planned ahead, like making meals, snacks, etc. ahead of time and freezing them.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Cook a Zero-Plastic Waste Meal

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?

Melanie Gardner 7/10/2019 2:22 PM

This morning I took my recyclables to the transfer station, and I wish I'd thought to count all the plastic containers I hauled along. There was a shocking amount, I'll tell you that. By the time I go again, I hope the amount is no more than half what I took today.

Read More
- Susan J Murphy 7/29/2019 11:36 AM
  
  BTW, we always need plastic containers in the Cantine's Island Common House -- no matter how many we stuff into the "refrigerator dish" cupboard, when we go to look for one there aren't enough. So feel free to drop them off over here!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Minimize Packaging

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?

Melanie Gardner 7/08/2019 1:57 AM

The most obvious difference in single use packaging I've noticed is from fellow shoppers - not product manufacturers. Fellow shoppers are bringing their own bags much more now than in the past, when plastic bags were freely used to bag groceries.

Read More
- Susan J Murphy 7/29/2019 11:37 AM
  
  Keep an eye out for announcement of the "mesh produce bag workshop" that's on the agenda for the Saugerties Green Team!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Use Reusable Utensils

How can you be an advocate for using resusables instead of disposables for the rest of your community? Where are they currently dependent on disposable cutlery, and how can you convince them of the need for change?

Melanie Gardner 7/07/2019 11:24 PM

I think the way to begin advocating for reusable cutlery is to encourage local businesses to implement a disincentive to their customers to choose plastic knives, forks, & spoons - have an additional fee if that's what customers choose, along with an explanation as to why.

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- Susan J Murphy 7/29/2019 11:39 AM
  
  I just had an idea: when we do our survey of the take-out practices of Saugerties restaurants, we can include a question about whether or not they automatically include plastic knives, forks & spoons -- and why, and could they ask customers whether they're wanted?
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Skip the Straw

Have you noticed a shift in your community as more messaging about reusable straws becomes mainstream? Cite some examples.

Melanie Gardner 7/07/2019 11:19 PM

I have seen more use of paper straws, but there's still a long way to go.

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