Stephanie Joseph

New York Aquarium

"U-G-L-Y Plastic makes me wanna cry It's UGLY, yea yea it's UGLY!! "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
907 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

community events

hosted or attended
UP TO

10

conversations

with people
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

95

pieces of litter

picked up
UP TO

16

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted

Stephanie's actions

Food

Visit the Butcher

I will purchase meats and cheeses from the deli counter or a butcher shop, and use my own containers to do so.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Share My Actions

I will make my environmental actions visible by posting to my social media networks.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Keep My Community Clean

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

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

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 16
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

Community

Host a House Party

I will host a house party with friends and/or colleagues to watch a movie or present a guest speaker on plastics.

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?

Stephanie Joseph 7/29/2019 7:08 PM

I brought my own bags with me to the store today but the cashier moved so fast, he had everything bagged before I pulled my reusable one out. Fail.

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- Krystina Jarvis 7/29/2019 7:57 PM
  
  I always put mine on the conveyer belt in front of the groceries - first thing on the belt, first thing the cashier sees!
  
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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?

Stephanie Joseph 7/28/2019 6:16 PM

Composting would definitely help me reduce my waste. I will try to start freezing my compost materials to bring to the farmer's market for drop off. I'm also doing what I can to reduce the foods I buy that are wrapped in plastic although some items are difficult like sour cream and cheeses. I will also look into companies that offer refillable options.

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Stephanie Joseph 7/27/2019 3:00 PM

I really want take out today, but second guessing it due to the crazy about of plastic and disposables they always send...

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Stephanie Joseph 7/25/2019 1:39 PM

We met with a middle school group at the aquarium today from City Parks. We talked about the straw ban bill, and I was surprised how much push back the students gave. They felt it was the store's obligation to give a straw with a drink purchase. They argued against paper straws saying they get soggy too quickly. Maybe stores should give out metal straws. Sadly, I didn't get to talk with them longer. I wanted to understand why they needed a straw at all. Maybe this cultural shift will move faster once the straw ban is in place.

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Stephanie Joseph 7/24/2019 1:02 PM

Officially planned the "house party" to show A Plastic Ocean next week at the Aquarium. I'm providing snacks to entice more people to come watch the movie. I'm also open to other movie suggestions.

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Stephanie Joseph 7/23/2019 11:52 AM

I really want to pick up all the trash I pass on the street, but then I get self-conscious that I'll just look crazy. I wish we were all inclined to pick up trash and then it wouldn't seem so weird...

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- Bill Packer 7/24/2019 4:36 AM
  
  Maybe this will help ... other day, working on a park bench ... I notice some trash blowing around at the park. I start picking up. I look up a few minutes later and 3 other kids (maybe 5 or 6) are picking up trash too. We made it a little game. I'm sure the Mom's thought I was a little weird. But, I think they were kinda happy that the weird old guy in the park was entertaining their kids so they kid sip their starbucks! Maybe this is how it starts. Get them when they are young!
  
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Stephanie Joseph 7/22/2019 12:47 PM

I finally remembered to bring a container for cold cuts at the deli. The employee gave me a crazy look when I asked him to put my turkey in my Tupperware container, but at least I was able to tell him about Plastic Free July.

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Stephanie Joseph 7/21/2019 2:21 PM

Today I placed my first order from Thred Up, an upcycling website for clothing. I was able to get some new work clothes at a great discount and I’ll be sending some clothes to be upcycled too!

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- Katie Manion 7/21/2019 2:45 PM
  
  Ooh, I need to check this out!
  
  Read More
Stephanie Joseph 7/19/2019 9:36 AM

I prepared my first Hello Fresh box in July this week. Since things are packaged in individual sizes, there were so many plastic bags. I only order from Hello Fresh about once a month, but I may need to look into other options.

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Stephanie Joseph 7/16/2019 2:34 PM

During the Creek Cleanup, I spent my time cleaning up the picnic area. It's really discouraging to see so much trash scattered around an area that is used by the community. We must continue to work with younger children and instill a sense of pride in their community spaces.

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