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Welcome to Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2019!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2019 expert in no time!

Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums
Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2019
July 1 - July 31, 2019
Darren Goad's avatar

Darren Goad

Oklahoma City Zoo

"Saying that you are going to recycle more in the New Year is not enough. You need to hold yourself (or your family or team) accountable so that everyone is working together and helping each other make positive environmental changes. After a week, month, or quarter (or after each recycling pick-up) evaluate if you recycled more or created less waste, then strive to make progress for the next round. Letting your friends and family in on your goal helps to make you accountable too."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,180 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    21
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    1.0
    community event
    hosted or attended
  • UP TO
    27
    zero-waste meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    5.0
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    174
    pieces of plastic cutlery
    not sent to the landfill

Darren's actions

Create Your Own Action

Dispose of me correctly

I will pick 50 pieces of litter daily and dispose of them correctly. I will complete this task at work home and our neighborhood park.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

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 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Pets

Pet Waste

I will spend 1 minutes learning how to compost pet waste at home or research pet waste composting services available in my area.

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

Start Composting

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

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

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

Food

Use Reusable Utensils

I will keep 6 plastic cutlery out of the landfill per day by using my own reusable cutlery.

COMPLETED 29
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

Family

Discover Together

I will spend 15 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Buy Unpackaged Produce

I will purchase produce items without plastic packaging.

COMPLETED 27
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

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

Food

Minimize Packaging

I will purchase food items with the least amount of packaging.

COMPLETED 27
DAILY ACTIONS

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 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?
    Darren Goad's avatar
    Darren Goad 7/31/2019 4:01 PM
    This should have said 1hour. Unconsumed dog food and scraps can be blended in with garden compost.
    Read More
  • Darren Goad's avatar
    Darren Goad 7/31/2019 12:39 PM
    This was my second year participating in the plastic free challenge, we are gaining momentum. It has been very nice to see all of the team work and effort, let’s continue Reducing plastic and recycling at home and here at our zoo. 
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Use Reusable Utensils
    How can you be an advocate for using resusables instead of disposables for the rest of your community? Where are they currently dependent on disposable cutlery, and how can you convince them of the need for change?
    Darren Goad's avatar
    Darren Goad 7/31/2019 12:35 PM
    Cost! $$$
    Communicating through family and friends that disposable cutlery is more expensive and harmful to our planet. 
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Family Discover Together
    What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.
    Darren Goad's avatar
    Darren Goad 7/31/2019 12:32 PM
     Not being mindful of the products we are using, the list we discard them without considering where they are going

    Read More
  • Darren Goad's avatar
    Darren Goad 7/31/2019 11:56 AM
    This was my second year participating in the plastic free challenge, we are gaining momentum. It has been very nice to see all of the team work and effort. 
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Join a Cleanup Effort
    How does working with others to clean up your community make you feel?
    Darren Goad's avatar
    Darren Goad 7/31/2019 11:53 AM
    I’m so proud of our zoo team this week, they pulled several items out of our lake that was able to find its way to a recycling facility, this will help make a better life for our wildlife and planet. All it takes is teamwork and effort!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Cook a Zero-Plastic Waste Meal
    Do an inventory of your kitchen to see how many single-use plastics you've used in the past. What are some resuable alternatives to these commonly used products? What would your impact be if you switched all the single-use products from your inventory to reusable?
    Darren Goad's avatar
    Darren Goad 7/31/2019 11:45 AM
    Fighting food waste

    According to the USDA, 30 to 40 percent of food produced in the United States ends up in the trash. As consumers become more aware of the issue, many choose eco-friendly dishes.  “In the past two years, the issue of food waste has really entered people’s consciousness,” says Lela Singh, Teaism’s social media manager.
    The inspiration behind Teaism’s “Trash or Treasure” menu is Chef Dan Barber, who converted his New York City restaurant Blue Hill into a pop-up called WastED for three weeks in 2015. Devoted to the theme of food waste and food re-use, WastED featured damaged apples, rejected-carrot mustard, kale ribs and fish heads.
    Renowned chef and documentarian Anthony Bourdain shined a light on the issue in his 2017 documentary “Wasted!: The Story of Food Waste.” One of Bourdain’s last projects, the film examines the food waste crisis, noting that globally 1.3 billion tons of food are thrown out each year. The documentary shows how chefs can creatively use this “waste.”
    At New York City’s Graffiti Earth, Chef Jehangir Mehta is so committed to reducing waste that he procures “trash” from others. He gets broccoli trimmings, leftover greens and other scraps from nearby vegetarian restaurant Dirt Candy. He breathes new life into used coffee grounds from local Birch Coffee, cold steeping the leftovers to flavor his homemade coffee ice cream.
    “We call ourselves the ER of food,” says Mehta. “We don’t let any food die until it’s really dead, and even then, we donate the parts to other dishes.”

    The beauty of broken scallops and bruised tomatoes
    Mehta sees the beauty in “trash fish” and “ugly produce.” He features broken scallops that would otherwise be trashed in his “Scallop Brûlée.” He buys “ugly produce,” like misshaped tomatoes and spotted zucchinis, from the farms he works with. He frequents farmers’ markets at the end of the day, reaping leftover produce at high discounts — sometimes even free.
    “If you’re dicing or slicing a tomato for a salad, it doesn’t have to be perfect,” points out Mehta. “If you’re using a tomato for braising, what difference does it make how it looks?”
    Mehta is at the forefront of the sustainability movement, but he isn’t alone. More than half the chefs surveyed identified “ugly produce,” and “trash fish,” as “hot trends,” as they did for “root-to-stalk’ and “nose-to-tail,” which uses the entire plant or animal.
    Chefs are also tapping into eco-friendly sourcing of their foods. Plant-based proteins, which require significantly fewer resources to produce, claimed the No. 2 spot among protein trends. Locally sourced meat and seafood, which require less transport and have a smaller carbon footprint, took the No. 3 spot, followed by sustainable seafood at No. 4. Mehta attributes the trend to increased awareness among consumers. “This generation is taking much more interest in global warming.
    Read More
  • Darren Goad's avatar
    Darren Goad 7/31/2019 10:58 AM
     Putting forth effort, making family friends and staff aware is key to a successful recycling program,  remembering not to become complacent with your single use items/containers is a must for our planet  
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Estimate Your Plastic Consumption and Go #PlasticNeutral
    What did you find out about your plastic consumption by using the calculator? What did or didn't surprise you?
    Darren Goad's avatar
    Darren Goad 7/30/2019 8:03 PM
    Its always amazing that our recycling cans fills up faster then our trash can does
    Read More
  • Darren Goad's avatar
    Darren Goad 7/28/2019 3:29 PM
     My local post office now takes empty ink cartridges for recycle.  Not sure if they are all doing it or not. 
    Read More