Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums

Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2019

July 1 - July 31, 2019

Jody Elam-Foote

LHB, Inc.

"By making small changes every day, I want to help reduce single-use plastic waste everyday at home and work."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,079 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

30

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

45

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

27

zero-waste meals

consumed

Jody's actions

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 24
DAILY ACTIONS

Family

Natural Paints

I will paint rooms in my home with low/no VOC or natural paints.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Homemade Cleaners

I will make my own cleaning products at home.

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Start Composting

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Use Reusable Bags

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

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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?

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Just Say No

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl.

COMPLETED 13
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

Pets

Try a Pet Shampoo Bar

I will replace my pet's shampoo with an eco-friendly shampoo bar.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Buy Unpackaged Produce

I will purchase produce items without plastic packaging.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

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 27
DAILY ACTIONS

Pets

Pet Waste

I will spend 30 minutes learning how to compost pet waste at home or research pet waste composting services available in my area.

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
Pets Try a Pet Shampoo Bar

In what ways does your pet make your life happier, more interesting, or more rewarding?

Jody Elam-Foote 7/31/2019 11:25 AM

My two puppers are always so happy to see me no matter how long I've been gone. Their unconditional love makes every day happier.

Read More
Jody Elam-Foote 7/31/2019 9:03 AM

Great job, LHB team members! This challenge made me re-think my use of plastics and has introduced me to several alternatives, which I intend to make habits!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Start Composting

Do an inventory of how much food waste you would save from going to the landfill if you start composting all of the time. What are the added benefits of having compost that is readily accessible?

Jody Elam-Foote 7/30/2019 8:04 AM

I'm going to love having compost available to enrich the soil in my gardens. Composting is also going to significantly cut down on what goes into my garbage.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Family Natural Paints

How do environmental health, community health, and your family's health intersect?

Jody Elam-Foote 7/29/2019 6:43 AM

A healthy environment tends to lead to healthier people!

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Jody Elam-Foote 7/29/2019 6:39 AM

I'm starting to get into the swing of things and remembered to bring containers while grocery shopping for those bulk food items.

Read More
Jody Elam-Foote 7/26/2019 10:57 AM

It's getting easier to bring my own containers and reusable bags when shopping. Almost second nature!

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Jody Elam-Foote 7/25/2019 6:36 AM

I spent some time researching the composting of pet waste today. I think we're going to try it. Thank goodness I have two small dogs who only produce little nuggets, which should make it easier to give this a shot.

Read More
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?

Jody Elam-Foote 7/25/2019 6:33 AM

I read several articles on composting pet waste. Overall, I gathered that it's not for everyone, but if you really want to reduce the amount of waste your household produces, composting your pet waste may be something to consider. It requires precautions, patience, and space to maintain a separate area for composting pet waste away from any compost you plan on using in your vegetable garden. Having two small dogs, I think we're going to give this a try at my house by digging a trench away from the house and garden and lining it with shredded cardboard or sawdust. We'll see how it goes!

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Jody Elam-Foote 7/23/2019 6:01 AM

Having two dogs, we've switched to picking up dog poo using scrap pieces of paper, newspaper, paper bags, or compostable bags when out on a walk in lieu of plastic bags.

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Jody Elam-Foote 7/22/2019 6:42 AM

A typical shampoo bar will last for up to 80 washes (that’s the work of three bottles of liquid shampoo!) and requires no packaging. I'm a convert!

Read More