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Rachel Jakosalem's avatar

Rachel Jakosalem

Zoo New England

"Let's do this!"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,299 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    28
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    120
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    120
    pieces of litter
    picked up
  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    60
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    58
    pieces of plastic cutlery
    not sent to the landfill

Rachel's actions

Pets

Invest in a Pooper-Scooper

I will swap out my single use plastic bags for a pooper-scooper.

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Use Reusable Bags

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

COMPLETED 33
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

Brusha Brusha Brusha

I will replace my plastic toothbrush with a bamboo toothbrush.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Share My Actions

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

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

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

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 5 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Skip the Straw

I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill per day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 28
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 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

Food

Use Reusable Utensils

I will keep 2 plastic cutlery out of the landfill per day by using my own reusable cutlery.

COMPLETED 29
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 Invest in a Pooper-Scooper
    How are caring for your pet and caring for the environment connected for you?

    Rachel Jakosalem's avatar
    Rachel Jakosalem 7/31/2019 3:22 PM
    Because I work with animals and also have a pet you can see how caring for the environment is directly connected to the well being of animals (and also us!) Pets are so dependent on us to feed and care for them that it should make you look at what else you have an impact on.
  • 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?

    Rachel Jakosalem's avatar
    Rachel Jakosalem 7/31/2019 3:19 PM
    You just have to give yourself small goals and time to prepare. Know what you really need and know what you can do without. I think this could be hard for those who pack at the last minute though but it can still be done.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Use Reusable Containers
    How can you think outside the box (or bag!) when it comes to disposables?

    Rachel Jakosalem's avatar
    Rachel Jakosalem 7/31/2019 4:56 AM
    Repurpose! I like to use disposable plastics for different purposes. I like to craft so I'm always looking for containers to store all of my different items. I don't buy anything new and you can make them cute by decorating! Win win!

  • Rachel Jakosalem's avatar
    Rachel Jakosalem 7/31/2019 4:47 AM
    Way to go team ZNE! So proud of all of you!!!

  • Rachel Jakosalem's avatar
    Rachel Jakosalem 7/30/2019 5:11 AM
    Almost there ZNE! Let’s finish strong!

  • Rachel Jakosalem's avatar
    Rachel Jakosalem 7/29/2019 8:37 AM

  • Rachel Jakosalem's avatar
    Rachel Jakosalem 7/28/2019 11:09 AM
    2nd place! Way to go ZNE!!!!!!
  • 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?

    Rachel Jakosalem's avatar
    Rachel Jakosalem 7/28/2019 10:21 AM
    Take out is probably the biggest dependent on disposable cutlery. It seems like any place you order from will give you some for of disposable plastic. I try to write in the comments about not including them in my order and it's usually hit or miss. I think letting these places know that it's not needed is a first start. If you can start with the smaller mom and pop shops maybe you can make a difference. Baby steps.

  • Rachel Jakosalem's avatar
    Rachel Jakosalem 7/28/2019 10:16 AM
    PFJ is almost at an end. Still trying to find better alternatives when it comes to personal care. Any suggestions for hair products and razors? These are the next I want to tackle.

  • Rachel Jakosalem's avatar
    Rachel Jakosalem 7/27/2019 9:00 AM
    Come on team ZNE! Let’s get 2nd place! We can do it!