Sarah Peterson

Virginia Zoo (non)Plastics

"Learn more, use less!"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
534 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

95

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

community event

hosted or attended
UP TO

66

pieces of litter

picked up
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted

Sarah's actions

Food

Make Your Own

I will try new recipe(s) or food preparation method(s) each day, such as canning, pickling, making yogurt, or baking granola bars or bread.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Share My Actions

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Lather Up

I will replace my soaps, shampoos, and conditions with either a bar or refillable option.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Pets

Homemade Pet Food/Treats

I will prepare my own pet food and treats to avoid plastic packaging.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

Just Say No

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

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 3 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Lifestyle

Complete a Waste Audit

I will conduct a waste audit - including recyclables and compost - to understand how much waste I create and where I can reduce the most.

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

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

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

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle

Which documentary did you choose to watch? What did you learn?
Sarah Peterson 7/29/2019 6:23 PM
I watched "Minimalism." A lot of this doc assumed that people are getting things and then either not using them or throwing them away before they are done being useful. I had trouble relating because when I purchase things, I intend to keep them for a long time or run them into the ground. That being said, I learned about Project 333, which might be something I look into more.

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- Dori Sayre 7/30/2019 5:38 PM
  You just inspired me to look into project 333! I think I’m going to try it out when it comes around this year!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

What did you find out about your plastic consumption by using the calculator? What did or didn't surprise you?
Sarah Peterson 7/29/2019 5:13 PM
I discovered that it would cost less than $3/day or around $35/year to become "plastic neutral" through this organization! I will probably commit next pay day. I also learned that if everyone used plastic the way I do, there would be more plastic in the oceans than fish by 2032. Finally, I have a lower footprint than the average American (not surprised) but more than the average European (a little surprised).

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle

What did you learn about the waste you create? Where can you reduce the most?
Sarah Peterson 7/08/2019 8:48 AM
The vast majority of my plastic waste comes from food packaging. I'm hoping that once I'm more settled in after moving, I will be able to cook more with fresher ingredients and use fewer prepackaged meals. Another area I could improve is in the bathroom- I plan to switch to bar shampoo and conditioner (I already use bar soap and refillable bulk hand soap) later this month. However, I have sensitive teeth and am hesitent to switch away from my current toothpaste. I am also researching refillable deordorant.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Personal Care

Do some research on polystyrene and polyvinyl. How many items in your house already contain these toxins?
Sarah Peterson 7/05/2019 6:42 AM
I discovered the "Beat the Bead" app, which tells you if different personal care items contain various plastics or not. I have been avoiding microbeads themselves for years since they can be obvious (like in a scrub) but I need to learn morenabout other potential toxins.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

In what ways is social media an effective tool for sharing your values?
Sarah Peterson 7/05/2019 6:39 AM
It allows you to meet a huge group of people, some with shared interests and hopefully some who can still learn a lot.

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