"Striving to better myself and lead others to do the same for our planet."
POINTS TOTAL
0
TODAY
0
THIS WEEK
1,399
TOTAL
participant impact
UP TO
170
minutes
spent learning
UP TO
1.0
community event
hosted or attended
UP TO
18
petitions
signed
UP TO
54
pieces of litter
picked up
UP TO
1.0
documentary
watched
UP TO
7.0
plastic containers
not sent to the landfill
UP TO
1.0
waste audit
conducted
UP TO
57
pieces of plastic cutlery
not sent to the landfill
Andie's actions
Lifestyle
Travel Eating
If traveling, I will bring my own airplane snacks and eat at local restaurants to avoid take-out containers.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Pets
Pet Waste
I will spend 20 minutes learning how to compost pet waste at home or research pet waste composting services available in my area.
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!
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
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
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 3 piece(s) of litter each day.
COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS
Food
Takeout Pro
I will use my own containers when ordering takeout.
COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION
Food
Use Reusable Utensils
I will keep 3 plastic cutlery out of the landfill per day by using my own reusable cutlery.
COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS
Food
Use Reusable Bags
I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases, including produce bags.
COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS
Community
Sign a Petition
I will sign a petition in support of a plastic-related initiative in my state/province.
COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS
Lifestyle
Travel Toiletries
If traveling, I will reuse my old travel tubes to refill with my soaps or only bring bar soaps with me in a TSA approved reusable quart sized bag.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Community
Visit A Waste Management Facility
I will visit a local dump/transfer station, material recovery facility, and/or landfill to learn about the waste stream.
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
Lifestyle
Travel Smart
If traveling, I will bring my own plastic free items (water bottle, grocery bags, collapsible food containers, utensils, straws, etc.) with me.
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?
Even though July is over, that doesn’t mean we give up what we’ve learned! I’m going to make a conscious effort to pick up more trash which is a pretty big deal for a germaphob like me!
Last day of Plastic Free July!! Finished it off with a habit I’ve continued since last year, refused the free toothbrush/toothpaste package from the dentist!
I learned that I use A LOT of paper products!! I waste a lot more paper than I once thought. I use various forms of plastic, but smaller amounts of each. I definitely need to find ways to reduce my paper towel consumption. This proves difficult in employee restrooms and the gym (wiping down machinery after using it for the next guest). Is it plausible to expect employees to stop using paper towels and switch to hand towels or hand dryers? Is it logical to bring my own towel to the gym every night and add additional laundry to my ever growing pile? I’m not sure of the right answer here, but one thing I certainly need to do more of is eat more fresh produce with little packaging. That’s better for my health and the environment!
I took a sustainability tour through the University of New Hampshire. There is a 12.5 mile long pipe system from the landfill to the heat and power plant which converts the methane gas from the landfill into usable energy for the campus. UNH wouldn’t have electricity, hot water, and other resources if it weren’t for this plant. The plant manager shared A LOT of amazing information but something that really stuck out to me was that they are getting more and more inorganic construction trash in the landfill, especially dry wall. Dry wall contains gypsum which gives off hydrogen sulfide. The turbines will shut off upon traceable contact with hydrogen sulfide because otherwise it would create sulfur dioxide. If the methane gas gets contaminated, they rely on natural gas making their efforts less sustainable and efficient. Who knew! He also discussed the issues landfills are having with carbon dioxide emissions and possible solutions in the future that could help (surrounding landfills with green houses was his idea).
