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Welcome to Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2019!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2019 expert in no time!

Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums
Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2019
July 1 - July 31, 2019
Brandi Lawson's avatar

Brandi Lawson

Mothers for Mother Earth

"One person can make a big difference, and it starts by making small changes."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 803 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    95
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    57
    pieces of litter
    picked up
  • UP TO
    26
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    1.0
    waste audit
    conducted
  • UP TO
    5.0
    zero-waste meals
    consumed

Brandi's actions

Food

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases, including produce bags.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Share My Actions

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Plant a Garden

I will plant an herb or vegetable garden in my home, workplace, or community garden

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family

Swap the Snacks

I will swap out 2 prepackaged snacks a day for fresh fruits or veggies.

COMPLETED 5
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

Family

Discover Together

I will spend 60 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 3 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

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 5
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?

  • Brandi Lawson's avatar
    Brandi Lawson 7/20/2019 9:42 AM
    My 3 year old reminded me halfway through our shopping trip that we forgot our bags in the car. When I got frustrated over forgetting them, she told me "its ok, we'll try again next time!" We ended up having the cashier put the groceries in the cart without bags and just transferred them to the bags when we got to the car. She told me and the cashier that she was so happy we didn't use plastic because it can hurt the animals. 

    Even if I don't meet all my goals every day, and even if it takes a lot longer for our family to get control of our waste habits, I know I have already made a difference for the future, one little Earth Warrior at a time <3
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Lifestyle Complete a Waste Audit
    What did you learn about the waste you create? Where can you reduce the most?
    Brandi Lawson's avatar
    Brandi Lawson 7/12/2019 9:12 AM
    Holy moly, our food definitely creates more plastic waste than anything else! I get the convenience of pre-packaged portions (especially our kids snacks), and helping the food last longer but a little bit of convenience is doing a lot of damage. I fully plan to start buying in bulk when possible to eliminate extra packaging, as well as find more options for homemade or fresh snacks. All recommendations are welcome!!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Use Reusable Bags
    How difficult was this challenge for you? What made it easy or difficult?
    Brandi Lawson's avatar
    Brandi Lawson 7/08/2019 1:42 PM
    You'd think this challenge is super easy, right? Well, with two toddlers to account for, usually remembering to bring our reusable bags into the store doesn't even cross my mind until we're in the process of checking out. I keep the bags in the trunk, but I plan to start keeping them in the passenger floor to help me remember them for even the quick trips to the convenience store!
    Read More
  • Brandi Lawson's avatar
    Brandi Lawson 7/08/2019 1:34 PM
    Despite forgetting to check in some days, we're on day 8 of picking up at least 3 pieces of trash in our neighborhood! 

    Want to know how I can tell I'm already making a difference? Last night on our walk I was a little distracted and didn't even think about our daily pick-ups, but my daughter yelled "Mommy, stop! I need to get out!" When I asked why she excitedly said "I saw a piece of trash and I have to go back to get it! You missed it Momma!"
    I couldn't give a more perfect example of leading by example and shaping our future generations to care about our planet <3
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Share My Actions
    In what ways is social media an effective tool for sharing your values?
    Brandi Lawson's avatar
    Brandi Lawson 7/02/2019 8:56 AM
    It's a great way to share goals for accountability, and help educate friends that may not have known about their impact on the environment and how they can help. Being able to share sources, activities, and have friends join in, it's a great way to make changes around the community, country, and even the world!
    Read More
    • Brandi Lawson's avatar
      Brandi Lawson 7/08/2019 1:27 PM
      I totally get that, Marianne! My usual go-to is just sharing stuff on my fb, that way if they want to see it they can, if not, no pressure! When it comes to actual face to face conversation, I usually try to figure out a way to connect it to them personally somehow, whether it be saving money, or an interest they have, or just start throwing out really nerdy facts that display just how dire the need for change is. My approach could be called "casual yet passionate"
      Read More
    • Marianne Greco's avatar
      Marianne Greco 7/07/2019 5:58 PM
      I feel a little shy about starting this conversation with friends who are not already eco-aware. Suggestions?
      Read More
  • Brandi Lawson's avatar
    Brandi Lawson 7/02/2019 8:34 AM
    One of our daily goals is to pick up 3 pieces of trash. Today my stroller squad (4 kids between 10 and 2 years old) picked up FIFTY SIX pieces of trash!!! Most of it was pieces of weedeater cord and water balloons, and we only did our short walk around the neighborhood today. Wow!
    Read More
  • Brandi Lawson's avatar
    Brandi Lawson 7/01/2019 7:08 PM
    How did YOUR first day of the challenge go? 
    The kids and I picked up some trash on our walk, but saw that the mowers were running over  A LOT more, so we'll be back to collect tomorrow!!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Keep My Community Clean
    How does the act of picking up litter connect you more to your community?
    Brandi Lawson's avatar
    Brandi Lawson 7/01/2019 7:00 PM
    It helps me show my kids how to have pride in their environment and community, and hopefully when other adults see me picking it up they think of their own actions and responsibilities as well.
    Read More
  • Brandi Lawson's avatar
    Brandi Lawson 6/27/2019 9:19 AM
    Would love to hear some of your ideas on how to reuse plastic juice containers! I'm currently collecting the little plastic pouring lids from my friend's cartons to make this activity for our "Transportation" school unit coming up, but I'd like to start reusing our plastic juice jugs if we can!
    Read More
  • Brandi Lawson's avatar
    Brandi Lawson 6/25/2019 10:26 AM
    Even though the challenge doesn't start for another week, let's share some ideas for Two Things Tuesday:
    What are two things you already do to reduce your plastic waste?
    Read More