Mac Arner

Columbus Zoo Community

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
260 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

12

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

10

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

5.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

4.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Mac's actions

Pets

Homemade Pet Food/Treats

I will prepare my own pet food and treats to avoid plastic packaging.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY 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

Thrifty Pets

I will purchase my pet's water/food dishes, collars or leashes from the thrift store.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Brusha Brusha Brusha

I will replace my plastic toothbrush with a bamboo toothbrush.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Pets

Pet Waste

I will spend 10 minutes learning how to compost pet waste at home or research pet waste composting services available in my area.

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Naked Bins

I will either line my trash cans with repurposed newspaper or paper bags, or I will not line my trash cans at all.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Skip the Straw

I will keep 4 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill per day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 3
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

Food

Lobby for Reusables

I will lobby my workplace to have reusable dishes and silverware in order to minimize disposables.

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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle Travel Eating

Was this action easy or difficult to do? How did it change your travel experience?

Mac Arner 7/17/2019 10:44 AM

This challenge was not too difficult. It actually was cool because as I was ordering food, I kept in mind that for various reasons including this challenge, I couldn't take food with me. It made me aware of how much food I was ordering. My eyes tend to be bigger than my stomach sometimes! Also, a lot of restaurants in Charleston offered us drinks to go. I politely declined. Before I would have not thought about it.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Lobby for Reusables

What are some of the cases you could make to an employer for why switching to durable dishes and utensils is actually in their best interest as well?

Mac Arner 7/16/2019 9:45 AM

At work we pay for a large dumpster per month. Most of the waste that ends up in our dumpster is from the workers. If we would be able to cut down our waste by using reusable dishes or educate our workers to on how and why they should use less plastic, we could really cut our waste in half and then be able to just use the smaller dumpster option. Thus saving money for the company and saving the environment!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Personal Care Lather Up

What are the economic and personal benefits of switching to bar soap/shampoo/conditioner or refillable bottle options?

Mac Arner 7/16/2019 9:39 AM

I just recently decided to try out bar body soap. For me I found that there is less waste with the bar verses soap out of the bottle. I always end up dropping or spilling soap when I use a bottle.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Skip the Straw

Have you noticed a shift in your community as more messaging about reusable straws becomes mainstream? Cite some examples.

Mac Arner 7/15/2019 6:44 AM

Yes! I eat out A LOT! And recently I have seen an more and more restraunts in my area not give straws or ask if I would like a straw. Also, I have come across a couple kids who have been asking their parents to purchase reusable straws. I think that aspect of it all is vital! If we are teaching younger generations and getting them excited about this change, great things will come from it!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle Naked Bins

Does changing the lining of your waste bin change the kind or amount of trash you produce?

Mac Arner 7/02/2019 7:52 AM

When I decided not to use a regular trash bag, I became more aware of things that I have been purchasing and throwing away. I see now that I use a lot of disposable plastic cups and straws. From now on and I am going to work hard on using a reusable cup for my iced coffees in the morning and set up a recycling system at my work.

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Mac Arner 7/02/2019 7:40 AM

This is going great! Love this!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Pets Thrifty Pets

How does buying used differ from buying new? How does each purchasing decision make you feel?

Mac Arner 7/02/2019 7:33 AM

When you buy used, not only are you helping the environment, you are also helping people sustain jobs at the thrift stores you are buying from. I LOVE looking for things for my dog at thrift stores. It is cheaper and the products are still in good/fair condition.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Personal Care Brusha Brusha Brusha

What are the benefits of switching to bamboo toothbrushes? How would you implore others in your community to make this switch as well?

Mac Arner 7/02/2019 7:30 AM

I found that my bamboo toothbrush works just as well as my regular one. Also it was slightly cheaper as well. I think if more people knew that even changing your basic toothbrush can help the environment, they would be more accepting to change. Education and getting the word out to my friends and community will help! Plus I think they would make fun little gifts around Christmas time! 😄

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Pets Pet Waste

By composting your pet waste, you are turning waste into nutrients to feed the soil. In what other ways can you turn waste into a resource in your life?

Mac Arner 7/02/2019 7:27 AM

Instead of throwing my food scraps away or down the garbage disposal, I can start a composting pile to later put on my garden.

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