Sandi Phillips

Akron Zoo - Staff

"Progress is better than perfection. Keep. Going."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
823 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

9.0

pieces of litter

picked up
UP TO

48

pieces of plastic cutlery

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

21

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

28

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill

Sandi's actions

Food

Use Reusables at Work

I will use reusable dishes and silverware when eating at work.

COMPLETED 21
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

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

Pets

Rubber Glove Pet Hair Removal

I will use a rubber glove to remove pet hair from clothes, carpets and furniture.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

Personal Care

Fresh as a Daisy

I will use deodorant either from a bar or a jar or I will make my own.

UNCOMPLETED
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 24
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 1 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 9
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?

Sandi Phillips 8/02/2019 7:34 AM

Big thanks to our Akron Zoo team for taking on the Plastic Free July Challenge! Keep it up all year round, and we'll see you here next Plastic Free July!

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Sandi Phillips 7/29/2019 6:47 AM

Nearing the end of Plastic Free July, and I've made some improvements and found some great alternatives to reduce single-use plastic waste. One of the items that I know I couldn't like without are stretch lids that can fit over almost anything! (Thanks go to Brittany Rizzo for introducing me to those things). Now, I don't need to worry if I can't find a container with a lid! I haven't bought plastic wrap for years, and I don't see myself ever needing to get it in the future.

Here's the link to the lids (not sure if stores are carrying these items yet?) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DYS9GFL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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- Allison Shell 7/29/2019 4:27 PM
  
  Thanks for the links to the lids— Good to know they really work! Makes it easier to avoid single use plastics when you have things like this :)
  
  Read More
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.

Sandi Phillips 7/19/2019 8:43 AM

I'm just starting to notice a shift. It's probably slower on non-coastal states (like Ohio), but slowly, things are catching on. This is important in our region because we need to protect the Great Lakes and our Cuyahoga river. Whenever I am at a place that I notice is using paper straws, or no straws, I make sure to tell the server/manager that what they are doing is great leadership.

I really don't miss having a straw, and when I really do want a straw, I have my own that I can use (got it from TheFinalStraw).

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Use Reusables at Work

It is often true that we only have control over our own actions and not the collective community. How can you lead by example when it comes to switching disposables for reusable dishes in your community?

Sandi Phillips 7/18/2019 10:55 AM

At work, this is easy to do! I'm used to having my own utensils. It's outside of work and home that I need to lead by example. What I've been trying to change is making sure that I bring reusable utensils to cookouts this summer. That's harder to say than do! It's all about behavior change.

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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?

Sandi Phillips 7/08/2019 12:17 PM

July is tough because there are so many cookouts! Not only the ones I will host, but ones that I attend. I know I need to make sure to bring my own utensils to parties.

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- Kay Devlin 7/17/2019 12:50 PM
  
  Great Idea. I never even thought about bringing my own utensils to cookouts! I can also bring my reusable containers for yummy leftovers!
  
  Read More