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Laurel Levine's avatar

Laurel Levine

Life Unplastic Gainesville

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,229 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    10
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    1.0
    donation
    made
  • UP TO
    270
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    31
    petitions
    signed
  • UP TO
    35
    pieces of litter
    picked up
  • UP TO
    1.0
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    1.0
    waste audit
    conducted

Laurel's actions

Pets

Try a Pet Shampoo Bar

I will replace my pet's shampoo with an eco-friendly shampoo bar.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Sign a Petition

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

COMPLETED 31
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

Buy Only What I Need

I will not buy anything except items required for health and safety.

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

Family

Discover Together

I will spend 20 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.

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

Personal Care

Pretty oh so Pretty

I will purchase beauty products that are packaged in sustainable packaging.

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

Keep My Community Clean

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

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

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 31
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

Community

Raise Money For a Nonprofit

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

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

Food

Minimize Packaging

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

COMPLETED 25
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?


  • Laurel Levine's avatar
    Laurel Levine 7/26/2019 4:06 PM
    This month has been so great and I've formed so many good habits that I'm excited to share with my family!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Pets Try a Pet Shampoo Bar
    In what ways does your pet make your life happier, more interesting, or more rewarding?

    Laurel Levine's avatar
    Laurel Levine 7/25/2019 8:53 AM
    My dogs make me infinitely happier. In times of depression they give me a reason to live and in times of happiness they are there to share in the good. They help me live a healthier life by taking them for walks and they bring so much good into the world.

  • Laurel Levine's avatar
    Laurel Levine 7/23/2019 12:42 PM
    We went to the repurpose project and got a little table thingy that we've been wanting for a while and its already been so useful! Glad that a place like this exists in Gainesville and if you haven't checked it out before I would highly recommend it if you need anything before looking to buy something new. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Lifestyle Complete a Waste Audit
    What did you learn about the waste you create? Where can you reduce the most?

    Laurel Levine's avatar
    Laurel Levine 7/21/2019 6:43 AM
    We use a lot of tissues! I have allergies and we go through a ton of tissues. Maybe switching to hankies would be a good swap or at least occasionally to reduce the amount used. Also my boyfriend uses cotton swabs and he won't stop so I made him switch to compostable ones at least.

  • Laurel Levine's avatar
    Laurel Levine 7/21/2019 6:39 AM
    I got a bamboo toothbrush from Ward’s about a month ago and the bristles are all falling out! Typical of bamboo toothbrushes or just this brand/one? 

    • Juliana Cantillo's avatar
      Juliana Cantillo 7/21/2019 1:17 PM
      My "Brush with Bamboo" toothbrush usually lasts 2-3 months so I think it must be something with the one you got. Btw not sure how much it costs at Wards, but I've been able to save some $$ by buying in bulk directly from the maker. 

  • Laurel Levine's avatar
    Laurel Levine 7/16/2019 1:30 PM
    I had reached out to my campus’ health director for a way to recycle the gloves we use as I’m a scientist who works in a research lab on campus and I finally got a response yesterday!!

  • Laurel Levine's avatar
    Laurel Levine 7/16/2019 1:17 PM
    It's so hard to avoid plastic when you are depressed and just want something quick to eat. I've been working on making my own food such as muffins/bread/protein bars lately but when you can barely get out of bed its tough to make yourself something to eat. Today I had a PBJ and that was the lowest waste I could get but its better then what I used to do being grabbing several packs of ritz bitz and a wrapped protein bar. Anyone else struggle with this?

    • Kayla Muzzillo's avatar
      Kayla Muzzillo 7/17/2019 9:41 AM
      I definitely struggle with making myself food in the morning. Something that helps me get going is to just take a step outside. The warm weather does well with my body and basically forces my muscles to relax. 

      Today I didn't feel like starting my day or making myself food so I went outside, alone, came inside and made myself an egg and toast and then went on a 40 min walk with my dogs. Being outside makes me feel like my problems aren't important! 

      Hope this helps in any way ❤️

  • Laurel Levine's avatar
    Laurel Levine 7/15/2019 11:45 AM
    I made plain bagels and salt bagels and they turned out really well!! The holes in the middle kinda went away after baking but they are delicious so it doesn’t matter! This is the recipe i followed if anyone wants to try! I only baked for 16 minutes instead of 20 minutes though because they looked done, it might just be how my oven is. http://www.ramshackleglam.com/2017/07/28/bagel-snob/

    • Krystal Nelson 's avatar
      Krystal Nelson 7/25/2019 6:00 AM
      They look beautiful! And homemade bagels freeze well (you just have to toast them a bit longer than usual to bring 'em back to life), and sub in for bread for quick sandwiches or sweet treats.

    • Life Unplastic 's avatar
      Life Unplastic 7/15/2019 7:57 PM
      They look great! 

    • Samara Nehemiah's avatar
      Samara Nehemiah 7/15/2019 3:29 PM
      these look awesome! thanks for sharing :)

  • Laurel Levine's avatar
    Laurel Levine 7/15/2019 9:36 AM
    Attempting to make homemade bagels today! Will post a picture later on how it goes!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Personal Care Lather Up
    What are the economic and personal benefits of switching to bar soap/shampoo/conditioner or refillable bottle options?

    Laurel Levine's avatar
    Laurel Levine 7/12/2019 11:05 AM
    I've already made the switch to bar soap and bar shampoo (just waiting to finish my bottle shampoo before I use it) and use apple cider vinegar for a conditioner. A bar of soap while smelling great, has lasted me 4 months already for my hands and my shower bar has lasted over a month, contributing nothing in terms of plastic waste. My apple cider vinegar I got in a glass bottle and is refillable so I don't have to worry about creating more waste! Definitely has changed my routine for the better.