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Ashlee Rice's avatar

Ashlee Rice

Life Unplastic Gainesville

"I want to reduce my use of packaging and the other processed products I use both to improve my own health and to create a better future for the planet. "

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 722 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    4.0
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    30
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    36
    pieces of plastic cutlery
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    2.0
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    12
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    52
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    1.0
    waste audit
    conducted

Ashlee's actions

Family

Discover Together

I will spend 30 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Pretty oh so Pretty

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family

Glass Bottle Baby

I will replace 2 plastic bottles with glass or stainless steel alternatives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Start Composting

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family

Natural Paints

I will paint rooms in my home with low/no VOC or natural paints.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Natural Fibers

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

COMPLETED
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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Homemade Cleaners

I will make my own cleaning products at home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Minimize Packaging

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

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

See the Green

I will properly recycle used contact lenses and packaging.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Skip the Straw

I will keep 4 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill per day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Use Reusable Utensils

I will keep 3 plastic cutlery out of the landfill per day by using my own reusable cutlery.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

That Was a Close Shave

I will replace my disposable razors with steel razors. Why not try using hair conditioner instead of shaving foam for that baby smooth feel?

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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?


  • Ashlee Rice's avatar
    Ashlee Rice 7/22/2019 6:12 AM
    Today I am approaching the challenge of trying to figure out how to get a new storage system for the office with a limited amount of waste. 

  • Ashlee Rice's avatar
    Ashlee Rice 7/20/2019 2:25 PM
    I was wondering if anyone knew of a good way to recycle thin plastics. Those are hard to deal with, oftentimes. 

  • Ashlee Rice's avatar
    Ashlee Rice 7/19/2019 10:52 AM
    Yesterday was rough but today has been on-track! 

  • Ashlee Rice's avatar
    Ashlee Rice 7/17/2019 6:45 AM
    Feeling better today :). I'm gonna go to this little store near where my parents live that has a lot of refillable cleaning products and stuff. I'm really excited to see it. 

  • Ashlee Rice's avatar
    Ashlee Rice 7/16/2019 4:34 PM
    Today I have mostly been in bed (chronic illness) but I remembered to use my straw and recycle my contact lenses, which are the newer things I have a harder time remembering. I noticed that the straw really helped me when I was having my usual hard time sitting up to drink. And the stainless steel helped me keep from burning myself on my tea, since I could judge the temperature. 

    My parents and those around me initially told me that doing zero waste with a chronic illness would be nearly impossible, but in the middle of one of my bad flares, it is really helping me. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Personal Care Pretty oh so Pretty
    How can you advocate for the importance of reducing packaging to the rest of your friends, family and larger community?

    Ashlee Rice's avatar
    Ashlee Rice 7/15/2019 7:09 PM
    I think that having open conversations about zero waste and our everyday living in this lifestyle is the most important step. Making the time to explain what we need to businesses and explaining why others should join us to the general public would be a huge step to convincing others to move toward this goal, however imperfectly.

  • Ashlee Rice's avatar
    Ashlee Rice 7/15/2019 7:07 PM
    Today I went grocery shopping with my mom. The hardest part for me was trying to show and not tell. I saw her reaching for the same plastic-wrapped food and didn't try to correct. Instead, I introduced her to buying some foods in Mason jars in the bulk section. By doing it in that way, I kept from seeming pushy while also helping show her ways in which shopping could be done differently. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Lifestyle Complete a Waste Audit
    What did you learn about the waste you create? Where can you reduce the most?

    Ashlee Rice's avatar
    Ashlee Rice 7/15/2019 7:03 PM
    I learned that most of my waste comes from either packaging on repair items or food. The first makes sense because I am in the middle of the moving process, and that means it will probably go away quickly. The second is the area I really feel I need to work on. I need to work on composting all of my food waste and planning my meals and portions in such a way that less food ends up being waste. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Family Discover Together
    What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.

    Ashlee Rice's avatar
    Ashlee Rice 7/15/2019 7:00 PM
    The action of inaction. I am most concerned about the lack of caring that I so often see. People know about the problems such as pollution, landfill waste, forest destruction, and choose to ignore it because it is more convenient to them. The action of inaction concerns me more than anything else because it is the hardest thing to change. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Family Natural Paints
    How do environmental health, community health, and your family's health intersect?

    Ashlee Rice's avatar
    Ashlee Rice 7/15/2019 1:23 PM
    The environment gives us all the resources we need to live a healthy life. When we protect our natural resources, we help to secure the future for ourselves and our children. The chemicals we use to manufacture so many single use plastics and other packaging end up in our water and air. The exhaust from cars and smoke from factories damages our ozone layer, along with compromising the air we breathe. Making changes helps us in so many ways. 

    Our community should be lifting each other up. By keeping the environment healthy, we elevate our entire community, which in turn elevates us. The energy of those around us influences us, whether we consciously recognize it or not. Areas of our cities that are suffering end up hurting us all. By helping others, we help ourselves. Also, we help ensure that someone will do the same for us if we hit a rough patch.