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Paula Hopker's avatar

Paula Hopker

PAE Engineers

"Doing my small steps towards big change"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 313 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    20
    petitions
    signed
  • UP TO
    6.0
    pieces of plastic cutlery
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    2.0
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    14
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill

Paula's actions

Personal Care

Pretty oh so Pretty

I will purchase beauty products that are packaged in sustainable packaging.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Plant a Garden

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Natural Fibers

When available, I will purchase clothing made with natural fibers, such as cotton, linen, or wool, rather than synthetic fibers.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Homemade Cleaners

I will make my own cleaning products at home.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Advocate For More Food Packaging Options

I will advocate for alternatives to single use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, or work.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Use Reusable Utensils

I will keep 1 plastic cutlery out of the landfill per day by using my own reusable cutlery.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Use Reusable Bags

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

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Host a House Party

I will host a house party with friends and/or colleagues to watch a movie or present a guest speaker on plastics.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Share My Actions

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Sign a Petition

I will sign a petition in support of a plastic-related initiative in my state/province.

COMPLETED 2
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

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

Pets

Pet Waste

I will spend 60 minutes learning how to compost pet waste at home or research pet waste composting services available in my area.

UNCOMPLETED
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 7
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
    Community Sign a Petition
    What is a plastic-related issue in your state/province?

    Paula Hopker's avatar
    Paula Hopker 7/08/2019 1:40 PM
    Last month, Gov. Kate Brown signed into law HB 2509 which bans plastic bags from grocery stores and restuarants, and puts a minimum 5 cent charge on paper bags. In addition, SB 90 was signed, and it is now required by law for restaurants to ask if you need a straw (exceptions apply). What didn't get passed was HB 2883, which would have prohibited prepared food from being sold in polystyrene foam containers. Since recycling Styrofoam has become nearly impossible in Oregon, this needs to be something addressed and holistic solutions explored

  • Paula Hopker's avatar
    Paula Hopker 7/06/2019 9:44 AM
    Has anybody seen this video by the BBC about a Mexican scientist turning cactus into a plastic like material floating around Facebook??? https://youtu.be/sDoQFjTKP8w
  • 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.

    Paula Hopker's avatar
    Paula Hopker 7/05/2019 3:59 PM
    I’m enjoying business forcing customers to request straws instead of just handing out straws, or more businesses exploring alternative straw options. One goal this month is to reach out to a few businesses and invite them on to participate in the straw drawdown.
  • 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?

    Paula Hopker's avatar
    Paula Hopker 7/05/2019 3:52 PM
    Brushing up on my chopstick skills. Fortunately, it wasn’t as disastrous as I feared, and the nephews enjoyed eating noodles from them. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Use Reusable Bags
    How difficult was this challenge for you? What made it easy or difficult?

    Paula Hopker's avatar
    Paula Hopker 7/04/2019 11:55 PM
    Store clerk grabs bag. Pipe up and say, No thank you! I can carry this.” Proceed to see a flustered attendant. Sorry ma’am.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Personal Care Lather Up
    What are the economic and personal benefits of switching to bar soap/shampoo/conditioner or refillable bottle options?

    Paula Hopker's avatar
    Paula Hopker 7/03/2019 10:22 PM
    So the new shampoo I bought from Lush gets my hair to a new level of “squeaky clean.” Next question is how does it style???
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Plant a Garden
    Besides having access to fresh herbs and vegetables, what benefits will you see from growing your own garden?

    Paula Hopker's avatar
    Paula Hopker 7/03/2019 10:11 PM
    This allowed me to create a safe and non-toxic garden for my ever-so-curious dog.