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Shirley Blaine's avatar

Shirley Blaine

Columbus Zoo Staff & Volunteers

"To make conscious decisions in the daily actions I take and avoid plastic whenever possible!"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 523 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    5.0
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    51
    pieces of plastic cutlery
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    38
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    42
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill

Shirley's actions

Food

Use Reusables at Work

I will use reusable dishes and silverware when eating at work.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Plant a Garden

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Skip the Straw

I will keep 2 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill per day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Use Reusable Utensils

I will keep 3 plastic cutlery out of the landfill per day by using my own reusable cutlery.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Use Reusable Bags

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

COMPLETED 16
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

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

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

Food

Use Reusable Containers

I will only use reusable containers instead of single-use plastic storage items (such as plastic wrap, single-use sandwich bags).

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Share My Actions

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

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?


  • Shirley Blaine's avatar
    Shirley Blaine 7/31/2019 11:35 AM
    Great job everyone! I hope you've taken on some new habits and improved on some old ones to help reduce your plastic use. It's been awesome watching all our actions add up. Here's to continuing to build on these actions every day until next year's challenge!!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Plant a Garden
    Besides having access to fresh herbs and vegetables, what benefits will you see from growing your own garden?

    Shirley Blaine's avatar
    Shirley Blaine 7/29/2019 12:51 PM
    The benefits I see from growing my own garden is getting to literally reap the rewards of cooking with fresh, organic produce! Also, it has saved me from a trip to the store. Now that's a win-win. :)

    • Tammy Presutti's avatar
      Tammy Presutti 7/30/2019 8:30 AM
      Personally there is nothing better than a tomato fresh from the garden - enjoy!  🍅

    • Barbara Revard's avatar
      Barbara Revard 7/30/2019 6:19 AM
      Having a garden is one of my very favorite parts of summer!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Lifestyle Travel Smart
    How can/did you prepare to be successful in this action? Did you engage in conversation with anyone about your new habit?

    Shirley Blaine's avatar
    Shirley Blaine 7/29/2019 12:50 PM
    I made up a packing list to make sure I didn't forget anything and I love sharing these tips with my family when they are planning for a trip!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Lifestyle Travel Toiletries
    What is the benefit of using bar soaps or refilling your travel sized containers? Is this an action you think you will keep in your life?

    Shirley Blaine's avatar
    Shirley Blaine 7/29/2019 12:49 PM
    The benefit of using bar soaps is that I can take them through airport security without it counting towards my liquid products. Also, it feels good to use a package-free soap bar instead of something in plastic! Saving the environment one hair wash at a time. :)

  • Shirley Blaine's avatar
    Shirley Blaine 7/15/2019 8:27 AM
    Added more plants to my garden this weekend! Another tomato plant and yellow bell pepper plant. Can't wait to harvest them and use the food directly from my garden in my cooking. :)

    • joy kotheimer's avatar
      joy kotheimer 7/16/2019 7:57 PM
      I keep finding more stray tomato plants growing in mine from my compost 😂

  • Shirley Blaine's avatar
    Shirley Blaine 7/09/2019 6:15 AM
    During my trip to Frankenmuth this past 4th of July weekend it was difficult to find alternatives to plastic water bottles, as I did not find many options to refill my water bottle. However, I brought my own utensils, shopping bags, and said "no thank you" to plastic straws! One of the restaurants I ate at even said they only give straws when asked, which is AWESOME! 

    • joy kotheimer's avatar
      joy kotheimer 7/09/2019 7:24 AM
      Nice work being prepared and doing what you can on your part 💚💙 I love seeing more and more businesses taking responsibility with their plastic use, even if it’s just starting taking small steps for now

  • Shirley Blaine's avatar
    Shirley Blaine 7/02/2019 2:02 PM
    Made my own household cleaner, toothpaste and produce bag at the Plastic Free EcoChallenge kick-off event. Thanks to everyone who made this fun, hands-on activity possible!