Karina Bonin
"To reduce, reuse, educate my community of friends and family on environmental friendly lifestyle options, and make local impacts where I can."
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 592 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO1.0documentarywatched
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UP TO90minutesspent learning
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UP TO47plastic containersnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO48plastic strawsnot sent to the landfill
Karina's actions
Lifestyle
Watch a Documentary
I will watch a documentary film about waste with family and friends and talk about what we learned.
Community
Share My Actions
I will make my environmental actions visible by posting to my social media networks.
Food
Shop the Bulk Bins
I will purchase dry goods from the bulk section of my grocery store, and use my own containers to do so.
Personal Care
That Was a Close Shave
I will replace my disposable razors with steel razors. Why not try using hair conditioner instead of shaving foam for that baby smooth feel?
Food
Use Reusable Bags
I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases, including produce bags.
Food
Buy Unpackaged Produce
I will purchase produce items without plastic packaging.
Lifestyle
Homemade Cleaners
I will make my own cleaning products at home.
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.
Food
Takeout Pro
I will use my own containers when ordering takeout.
Personal Care
Pearly Whites
I will purchase toothpaste in an aluminum tube or in a glass jar or make my own!
Personal Care
Fresh as a Daisy
I will use deodorant either from a bar or a jar or I will make my own.
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?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONCommunity Share My ActionsIn what ways is social media an effective tool for sharing your values?
Karina Bonin 7/24/2019 4:30 PMSocial media has proven to be an effective platform to share my values with friends and families. For the past several weeks I have been sharing data or lifestyle changes that I have made to either avoid plastic or producing any waste at all. The feedback I have gotten from friends and family has been really positive. Several people have told me that I'm giving them new ideas for how to reduce their waste or to change their habits. A few people have told me that seeing my posts has just made them realize how dependent they are on plastic and how they want to change that. ... I'd say that's a win. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONPersonal Care That Was a Close ShaveWhat have you noticed about the economic and social impact of switching to steel razors? Was there ever really a need for disposable razors, or do you think it was just a way to sell more things?
Karina Bonin 7/23/2019 10:58 AMEconomically its so much cheaper to switch to an all steel razor. It was $30 for what will likely be my razor supply for a couple of years. I don't understand why disposable razors became so popular. Steel razors are not inconvenient at all and it's great that the blade can be recycled and replaced and the razor can be used indefinitely. Yes, I do believe disposable products are marketed as more convenient to consumers and it allows companies to continue to sell more products with a consumer dependency. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONLifestyle Homemade CleanersWhat did you learn by making your own cleaning products? What is the biggest difference in making vs buying?
Karina Bonin 7/23/2019 10:51 AMI learned that making my own cleaning products can be so easy! I thought more ingredients would be involved but it was super simple, smells great, and feels healthier to use in my home. -
Karina Bonin 7/23/2019 10:47 AMThe challenge has been going well so far. I have been wanting to try a more zero-waste/plastic free lifestyle and this challenge has been a great opportunity to push me in that direction. I have been learning about how much food I can get in bulk and how easy it has been to make products from scratch such as cleaners and alternative milks. I've been updating items around the house little by little. I'm excited for the transformation that has been happening at home. I have also been sharing what I have been learning or doing with friends and family and apparently I have inspired several people to rethink their waste habits. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Buy Unpackaged ProduceWhy do you think these produce products started amassing so much plastic packaging? Who is the plastic packaging really serving -- the consumer, the producer, or someone else?
Karina Bonin 7/11/2019 11:53 AMI think plastic packaging became a convenient, effective, and cheap way to preserve produce and/or neatly contain produce. The increased longevity of produce in stores is serving the interest of the vendor/grocery stores. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONPersonal Care Pearly WhitesCurrently most of the packaging for toothpaste is plastic. How can you advocate for more alternatives through your purchasing power and influence in community?
Karina Bonin 7/10/2019 1:36 PMI recently purchased the chewable toothpaste tabs because I was running out of my usual tubed toothpaste. I'm still getting used to the tabs, but it seems to be working well. I bought the tabs in the bulk section at the people's Coop on Alberta. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Skip the StrawHave you noticed a shift in your community as more messaging about reusable straws becomes mainstream? Cite some examples.
Karina Bonin 7/10/2019 1:33 PMI have definitely noticed a shift in the public's perception of waste. It's great to see a spotlight shining on plastic straws and I hope this really leads to more conversations on single-use plastics and plastics in general and what their impact is on our environment. Gimlet Media's Science vs. podcast recently did an episode on plastic straws and why straws got so much attention.
https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/94hwzr/plastics-the-final-straw -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Use Reusable BagsHow difficult was this challenge for you? What made it easy or difficult?
Karina Bonin 7/10/2019 1:29 PMThe only challenge I've encountered with using my own bags for produce is that I'm low on supplies. I was only able to buy a couple of veggies the other day when I went grocery shopping. I'll be planning to make more produce bags so that I don't have this issue in the future. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Takeout ProHow could you mitigate issues that may arise if the restaurant does not want to let you use your own containers at first?
Karina Bonin 7/07/2019 10:49 AMI brought in a large thermos to a coffee shop to fill up with drip coffee for friends that were hosting us. I could tell that the barista was a bit reluctant to fill up the thermos, but I told them about how we were trying to use zero single-use plastics and I gave them the total volume in ounces so they could charge me appropriately. I think when met with hesitation, giving the vendor some back story and showing them how it's equivalent to what they already sell, it makes it easier for them to work with your reusable containers.