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Brittany Alvarez's avatar

Brittany Alvarez

OKC Zoo and Botanical Garden

"“I cannot do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good I can do.” - Jana Stanfield"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 345 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    5.0
    pieces of litter
    picked up
  • UP TO
    1.0
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    15
    minutes
    spent learning

Brittany's actions

Bedroom

Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will spend 15 minutes learning about the costs of fast fashion and begin trying to practice sustainable fashion in my own life.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bedroom

Ditch Dryer Sheets

Plastic sheets coated in softeners, lubricants, and fragrances, dryer sheets just aren't great for the planet or our bodies. Instead, I will use wool dryer balls or another plastic-free alternative to dryer sheets to keep my clothes static-free.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Study

Greenwashing Pro

Greenwashing can fool even the most experienced eco-advocate. This month, I will spend 15 minutes learning what greenwashing is, how to spot it, and what I can do about it.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Shop the Bulk Bins

I will purchase dry goods from the bulk section of my grocery store, and I will use my own containers whenever possible (cloth bags, mason jars, even reused Ziploc bags will do!). When it's not possible to use my own containers, I will wash and reuse the containers offered by the store.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Study

Estimate Your Ecological Footprint

I will calculate my ecological footprint, and from the results brainstorm and take action on ways I can reduce my annual footprint.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Use What You Have

The only thing worse than a single-use item is a zero-use item! I will use (and use up) what I already have in my home before buying something new.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Study

Learn about Plastic Production

Plastic production, not just disposal, pollutes communities and harms people. I will learn about the impacts of plastic production on humans, animals, communities, and the environment.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Study

Plastic History Buff

Single-use plastics are everywhere, but that wasn't always the case. I will spend at least 15 minutes learning about the history of single-use plastics and how it became ubiquitous in our daily lives.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bathroom

Embrace Imperfection

Eliminating 100% of all plastic from our lives simply isn't possible. Throughout this month, I will embrace imperfection in my plastic-free journey while exploring and testing new ways to reduce my plastic footprint.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Bathroom

Pearly Whites

Nearly all toothpaste tubes are made from multiple layers of different types of plastic and aluminum, making them impossible to recycle and destined for landfill. When it's time to replace my current toothpaste, I will replace it with a plastic-free option.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bathroom

Plastic Free TP

Most toilet paper is wrapped in plastic #4, or low-density polyethylene - a thin plastic film that cannot be recycled back into more plastic film. To avoid this plastic wrapping, I will purchase toilet paper wrapped in paper instead, or use a reusable toilet paper option.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Dive Into Expiration Dates

Just because something is past its "expiration date," it might not actually be expired! I will spend 30 minutes learning about the difference between best by, use by, and sell by dates and how to tell if my food is actually expired.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bathroom

Sustainable Suds

In the UK, the average person creates 512kg (1,129lbs) of waste in the bathroom over the course of their lifetime - 50% of which ends up in a landfill. As they run out, I will replace my soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and lotions with sustainable, unpackaged, or refillable options.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Is it trash...or a trash bag?

The plastic industry has convinced us that some plastic bags are "trash bags," while others are just "trash." Instead of throwing empty bags away (such as bread bags, pet food bags, etc.), I will reuse them as trash bags.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Take the pre-survey!

Help us make the Plastic Free Ecochallenge the best it can be! Take the challenge pre-survey (and look out for the post-survey at the end of the challenge!) so we can better understand the impact the challenge has and how we can improve in the future. Plus, you'll earn points for completing it! Thank you!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Skip Plastic Bags

Whenever possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when shopping, including produce bags. I will either use my own reusable bags, or keep my items loose.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Keep My Community Clean

In addition to refusing and reducing my consumption of single-use plastics, I will pick up 5 piece(s) of litter each day of the Plastic Free Ecochallenge.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Participant Feed

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Study
    What did you learn about your ecological footprint by using the calculator? What did or didn't surprise you? What are some ways you will take action to reduce your footprint?

    Brittany Alvarez's avatar
    Brittany Alvarez 7/10/2024 1:01 PM
    It's likely my ecological footprint will always be higher than I want it be, which is both disappointing and motivational. Disappointing because I wish I wasn't contributing to the negative impact on our planet, but motivational, because I know I can improve and do better.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Bathroom
    Inquiring minds wanna know... Are you a scruncher or a folder?

    Brittany Alvarez's avatar
    Brittany Alvarez 7/10/2024 12:47 PM
    I'm a folder. I believe this method provides better coverage.

    • Kelly Dillow's avatar
      Kelly Dillow 7/11/2024 8:43 AM
      I am maybe making this up, but I feel like some goofy science show did an episode on this. I don't remember the results though!

  • Brittany Alvarez's avatar
    Brittany Alvarez 7/10/2024 12:11 PM
    During my first Plastic Free July I discovered the company Dropps, which sells laundry and dish detergent pods in recyclable cardboard packaging. I've been using them ever since!

  • Brittany Alvarez's avatar
    Brittany Alvarez 7/07/2024 7:02 PM
    Any recommendations for plastic-free floss?

  • Brittany Alvarez's avatar
    Brittany Alvarez 7/06/2024 4:09 AM
    What are your favorite plastic-free recipes? Bonus points if vegan. 😊

    • Gillian Lang's avatar
      Gillian Lang 7/06/2024 5:19 AM
      My favorite spice is the East African one and I use it to make a vegan kale, sweet potato and lentil stew.

    • Gillian Lang's avatar
      Gillian Lang 7/06/2024 5:14 AM
      I love seeing what I can throw together with what's coming out of our small veggie garden plus farmer's market finds. Lately I've been making a very spicy salsa and home made tortillas. My favorite local company for plastic free spices is https://thespicegirlkitchen.com/. she is at farmers Markets in OKC and some stores carry her spices too, they are salt and sugar free and in really cute jars that are so easy to reuse!

  • Brittany Alvarez's avatar
    Brittany Alvarez 6/11/2024 12:54 PM
    Looking forward to everyone's thoughts and ideas on how to cut down on plastic consumption!

    • jade hilliard's avatar
      jade hilliard 7/31/2024 5:37 PM
      My reflection after the 30 days: use less of it! Though gallon jugs still seem pretty safe to recycle.