Barry Adkins

National Aquarium

"I aim to improve the environment by steering my daily actions in a more conservation-minded direction."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
401 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

15

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

130

pieces of litter

picked up
UP TO

8.0

pieces of plastic cutlery

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted
UP TO

5.0

zero-waste meals

consumed

Barry's 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

Raise Money For a Nonprofit

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Pearly Whites

I will purchase toothpaste in an aluminum tube or in a glass jar or make my own!

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Start Composting

I will start a compost collection at home, work, or school.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Buy Only What I Need

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

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Pets

Pet Waste

I will spend 15 minutes learning how to compost pet waste at home or research pet waste composting services available in my area.

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 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Use Reusable Utensils

I will keep 1 plastic cutlery out of the landfill per day by using my own reusable cutlery.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 10 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 13
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?

Barry Adkins 7/20/2019 9:35 AM

We've worked hard to be plast-free on our trip and we've avoided anything in a plastic container by bringing our own water bottles into gas stations for refills and using our reusable utensils for any food we buy.

Read More
Barry Adkins 7/20/2019 9:35 AM

We've worked hard to be plast-free on our trip and we've avoided anything in a plastic container by bringing our own water bottles into gas stations for refills and using our reusable utensils for any food we buy.

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?

Barry Adkins 7/20/2019 9:32 AM

Most single-use plastics we use come from food packaging. Some have no alternative that we know of and we simply go without. For fresh produce, we swicthed to produce bags. It had made an impact, though there is still more we can do to improve!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Raise Money For a Nonprofit

What are organizations in your region doing to address plastic pollution or other related issues? How can you support them?

Barry Adkins 7/20/2019 9:31 AM

The Ocean Conservancy provides resources for conservation groups to facilitate local cleanup efforts and educate the public. Support can come through donations or participating in their events.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle Complete a Waste Audit

What did you learn about the waste you create? Where can you reduce the most?

Barry Adkins 7/14/2019 7:05 AM

Our household throws away more food packages compared to anything else. I believe the majority of that food packaging was from paper sweetener packages, which is not the worst thing we could throw away, but it still means we need to ask ourselves if there's a way we could make our own or purchase it in another form.

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Barry Adkins 7/13/2019 6:56 PM

I've been bad about checking in, but I am trying to be better about reducing my plastic use this month and every month!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Keep My Community Clean

How does the act of picking up litter connect you more to your community?

Barry Adkins 7/13/2019 6:55 PM

Sometimes, when I pick up trash, people ask me why I'm doing it. It gives me the opportunity to address the importance of keeping our communities and environment clean, and how our actions as humans affect out surroundings.

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