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sarah woodruff's avatar

sarah woodruff

Zoo New England

"To find new ways to reduce my use of single use plastics that I can do all year long!"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,271 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    23
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    125
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    24
    pieces of litter
    picked up
  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    42
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    48
    pieces of plastic cutlery
    not sent to the landfill

sarah's actions

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

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 2 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

Lather Up

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Pretty oh so Pretty

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

UNCOMPLETED
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

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 Bags

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

COMPLETED 17
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 23
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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 25
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Share My Actions

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

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

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

Travel Toiletries

If traveling, I will reuse my old travel tubes to refill with my soaps or only bring bar soaps with me in a TSA approved reusable quart sized bag.

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.

UNCOMPLETED
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?


  • sarah woodruff's avatar
    sarah woodruff 7/31/2019 3:40 PM
    Zoo New England kicked some plastic behind this July!
  • 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?

    sarah woodruff's avatar
    sarah woodruff 7/31/2019 9:26 AM
    I was unable to find any cosmetics not sold in plastic.  There is some not sold on packaging but it is still a plastic container. 

  • sarah woodruff's avatar
    sarah woodruff 7/31/2019 9:23 AM
    Wow another awesome plastic free July. Great work everyone!!!

  • sarah woodruff's avatar
    sarah woodruff 7/30/2019 7:23 PM
    Only one day left! Get ready for next year!!! Zoo New England does not mess around when it comes to the environment!
  • 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?

    sarah woodruff's avatar
    sarah woodruff 7/30/2019 7:22 PM
    Traveling takes a certain amount of planning to begin with. Making it more Eco friendly can be party of that planning.

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Lifestyle Natural Fibers
    What are the benefits (to people, animals, and the environment) of purchasing clothes made with natural fibers?

    sarah woodruff's avatar
    sarah woodruff 7/30/2019 7:21 PM
    I didn't get to complete this challenge as I had no need to purchase any clothing this month. But I will keep it in mind going forward. I have heard the fibers from things like fleece are contributing to the micro plastics problem. Food for thought.

  • sarah woodruff's avatar
    sarah woodruff 7/30/2019 2:18 PM
    I joined the plastic free July team to continue my education to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. I love all of the tricks and tips I've received this month!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Keep My Community Clean
    How does the act of picking up litter connect you more to your community?

    sarah woodruff's avatar
    sarah woodruff 7/30/2019 2:14 PM
    I am seeing litter more as something I should do something about. I can pick it up and not just walk by. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Lifestyle Travel Toiletries
    What is the benefit of using bar soaps or refilling your travel sized containers? Is this an action you think you will keep in your life?

    sarah woodruff's avatar
    sarah woodruff 7/29/2019 10:14 AM
    It is easy to refill small travel containers when traveling. The stuff in hotel rooms is usually not very good anyways!

  • sarah woodruff's avatar
    sarah woodruff 7/29/2019 10:13 AM
    Wow I can't believe we made it to second place! Go ZNE!