Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums

Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2019

July 1 - July 31, 2019

Patricia Jonas

National Aquarium

"To help reduce plastic pollution- one action at a time. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,338 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

community event

hosted or attended
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

155

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

22

petitions

signed
UP TO

155

pieces of litter

picked up
UP TO

2.0

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

62

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted
UP TO

23

zero-waste meals

consumed

Patricia's actions

Community

Sign a Petition

I will sign a petition in support of a plastic-related initiative in my state/province.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Join a Cleanup Effort

I will host or participate in a beach, highway, river, or other cleanup effort in my community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family

Discover Together

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Cook a Zero-Plastic Waste Meal

I will prepare 1 meal(s) at home each day without using any items packaged in single-use plastic.

COMPLETED 23
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

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

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 5 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 31
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

Just Say No

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl.

COMPLETED 26
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Skip the Straw

I will keep 2 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill per day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 31
DAILY ACTIONS

Pets

Pet Waste

I will spend 30 minutes learning how to compost pet waste at home or research pet waste composting services available in my area.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family

Glass Bottle Baby

I will replace 2 plastic bottles with glass or stainless steel alternatives.

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Raise Money For a Nonprofit

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Create Your Own Action

Removing plastic litter from waterways

I will pick 5 pieces of litter out of local waterway per day. I selected this one because there is an opportunity to clean up the plastic before it gets to the ocean.

COMPLETED 10
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?

Patricia Jonas 7/31/2019 7:20 AM

What I learned- changing habits is hard. And made harder when there are few alternatives for things we rely on. And convenience comes at a cost. That cost (to our health and environment) was not calculated when those convenience products were created.

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Patricia Jonas 7/30/2019 7:33 AM

If interested in keeping a plastic related challenge going or identifying litter that gets into the ocean, there were several phone apps that might be interesting- Clean Swell from Ocean Conservancy; 100 Bags Challenge Counter; Litter Stopper; Tidal Revival Beach Clean, etc.

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Patricia Jonas 7/29/2019 12:49 PM

For sometime I have been declining a bag when I make a retail purchase. Sometimes I would get a “Are you sure?” response. But today I got a thumbs up and an unsolicited positive response. I am not sure that the establishment would agree with her since the bag marking and branding are also a passive advertisement. And I am hesitant to say this but “just maybe” it is becoming popular to be aware of the plastic problem. Next time I am asked if I am sure I don’t want a plastic bag, I’ll just say “All the cool kids are doing it!!!!”

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Patricia Jonas 7/28/2019 2:58 PM

This is the result of a 15 minute poetry challenge - “Plastic, plastic everywhere; It won’t go away on its own so take care; It’s in your water, it’s in your food; It floats in the air and you eat it in seafood. Really, it’s not good for you or the planet; And no I’m not being dramatic; It’s time to stop using single use plastic.”

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Patricia Jonas 7/27/2019 9:09 AM

A recent story about airports installing water stations for refillable bottles talk about the savings for the airport associated with not having to dispose or recycle plastic bottles. I am wondering if I can also calculate my savings at the end of the month for having avoided certain plastic related items. I do recognize a change in my purchasing over the last few weeks. Probably should have started earlier to keep track but this last few days may be informative. I recognize the environmental positives from the challenge but I’ll bet that there is an economic one as well as many items I previously purchased were pricey “convenience” items.

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Patricia Jonas 7/26/2019 2:21 PM

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) published a lengthy report (84 pages but with lots of pictures and diagrams) in February called “Plastic and Health: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet” available at CIEL.org. I haven’t finished this but I recommend Chapter 6 - Plastic in the Environment as a place to spend some time. Or the last four pages where they present their conclusions and recommendations. As you can tell from the title of the report, there is a focus on the human health implications from plastic and in Chapter 6 there is a diagram reflecting the seafood contamination and its relationship to human health. The report is well referenced (over 400 end notes) and can be easily understood.

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Patricia Jonas 7/25/2019 6:43 AM

Last week of the challenge and I have been thinking what this focus on single use plastic has meant to me. Yes, I am more aware of the problem and my own behaviors. And yes, my family and friends have become more aware. And yes, I have added my voice along with others to petitions and donations. But I think that what has been most meaningful to me has been the growing community of others who are committed to this effort. And not just those who are a part of this challenge. As some have noted, there are news stories that talk about the problem, there are some businesses that are changing their behaviors and recognizing that they need to be a part of the solution. There are community, national and international groups all focusing on the problem. So for me, knowing that my actions are contributing to this larger effort has encouraged me that this is a problem that can be solved. And now, time to go pick up some more trash. 😎

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Patricia Jonas 7/24/2019 4:58 AM

Saw the Daily Show last night which reported on US trash being sent back to our country from Asian countries that we have been using to take away our “recycled” stuff. It is toxic and doesn’t recycle as well as we all had hoped. Are we approaching one of those watershed moments when local and state entities will be looking for solutions to a growing garbage pile crisis?

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Patricia Jonas 7/23/2019 4:52 PM

Another reason to reduce plastic - recycled or aging plastic smells bad. Researchers say that different substances found in plastic packaging waste have a number of different smells. These include monkey, cheesy, or acidic molecules. In addition to smells from previous contents, odors originated from decomposition of residues from manufacturing such as solvents.

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Patricia Jonas 7/23/2019 1:37 PM

Picking up litter every day has made me wonder about who drops these items. After a weekend or holiday when trash bins in the park are full, I expect to see more trash. But as to the “who” is dropping these things, a little quick research suggests that men and women are equally likely to litter. Individuals under age 15 are the least likely to litter. Individuals under age 25 are most likely to litter when in a group. And individuals over age 25 are most likely to litter when alone. Since the average person is said to generate 4.6 pounds of waster per day there is a lot of opportunity for that waste to go astray. And based on the questions and looks that I get when picking up the litter, it seems that most people don’t think there is individual obligation to pick up trash.

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- Kim Harris 7/23/2019 4:10 PM
  
  Interesting stats -- thanks for sharing! I was just discussing littering with a friend; venting, really, because I don't understand what makes a person just drop trash wherever! This friend was in traffic today when the driver of the car in front of her dropped a styrofoam cup and plastic straw out his window. She no longer does this because, you know, people are crazy now, but once she picked up a bag she'd seen thrown out a car window, followed the car for several minutes (while they hoped to lose her!), and then politely confronted them about littering as she returned the bag to them. I always wonder if it changed those people's behavior. Keep picking up litter! I'm getting used to the weird looks! :-)
  
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