Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums

Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2019

July 1 - July 31, 2019

Ashley Sutherland

The Florida Aquarium

"To help my family live a healthier lifestyle while reducing our impact on the planet."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
555 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

60

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

60

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

100

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

3.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

98

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted

Ashley's actions

Food

Use Reusable Bags

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

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Family

Make the Change to Cloth Diapers

I will replace single use diapers for reusable cloth diapers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family

Provide the Alternatives

I will provide daily plastic free alternatives (straws, water bottles, cuttlery, bar soap, bamboo toothbrushes, etc.) for my family to use.

COMPLETED 12
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.

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

Food

Start Composting

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Homemade Cleaners

I will make my own cleaning products at home.

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

Personal Care

Just Say No

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

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Lifestyle

Buy Only What I Need

I will not buy anything except items required for health and safety.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Family

Swap the Snacks

I will swap out 2 prepackaged snacks a day for fresh fruits or veggies.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

Family

Discover Together

I will spend 10 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.

COMPLETED
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

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?

Ashley Sutherland 7/31/2019 1:55 PM

We have been doing really well doing more things and being more aware of what we buy, use and do!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Plant a Garden

Besides having access to fresh herbs and vegetables, what benefits will you see from growing your own garden?

Ashley Sutherland 7/15/2019 6:36 AM

It’s teaching my kids how to grow food and how to garden, it can be a fun family project that teaches my kids different skills.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Family Provide the Alternatives

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) does your family regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Ashley Sutherland 7/05/2019 10:31 AM

We regularly go straw free and use reusable water bottles, utensils and travel containers. This reduces the use of straws, plastic bottles and plastic Tupperware.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Family Make the Change to Cloth Diapers

In what ways is diapering your child with cloth diapers better for your child, better for you, and better for the environment?

Ashley Sutherland 7/05/2019 10:29 AM

My youngest has very sensitive skin and chemical free diapers are expensive so we just opted to switch to cloth diapering to save money, help her skin and reduce waste.

Read More
Ashley Sutherland 7/02/2019 8:51 AM

My challenge is going well as I already do a lot in my house to help reduce our waste and use of plastics. I think it will go well as I find more things we can do!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Use Reusable Bags

How difficult was this challenge for you? What made it easy or difficult?

Ashley Sutherland 7/02/2019 8:43 AM

It was easy, I have a lot of reusable bags that I always have in my car. Its always enough for a full stocked cart of grocery's so there is never a need for a plastic bag.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle Buy Only What I Need

As you have reduced your spending, what have you noticed about your 'health and safety' purchasing habits? How might this change your longer term purchasing decisions?

Ashley Sutherland 7/02/2019 8:42 AM

I have started to try to make a lot of my own products in order to save money, especially becuase they are easy to do or refillable with things I can make for much cheaper on my own.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle Homemade Cleaners

What did you learn by making your own cleaning products? What is the biggest difference in making vs buying?

Ashley Sutherland 7/02/2019 8:39 AM

Its very easy to make my own cleaning products and I love that I can refill my glass bottles rather than have plastic throw away bottles with harsh chemicals

Read More