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Madison Anderson's avatar

Madison Anderson

Blank Park Zoo

"Just keep swimming"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,190 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    118
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    13
    pieces of litter
    picked up
  • UP TO
    27
    pieces of plastic cutlery
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    75
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    63
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    6.0
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill

Madison's actions

Community

Research Local Waste Sites

I will spend 10 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Keep My Community Clean

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

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Study

Plastic History Buff

Single-use plastics are everywhere, but that wasn't always the case. I will spend at least 5 minutes learning about the history of single-use plastics and how it became ubiquitous in our daily lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Study

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bedroom

Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will spend 10 minutes learning about the costs of fast fashion and begin trying to practice sustainable fashion in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Fill a Water Bottle

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

COMPLETED 25
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Plastic Free Lunch Boxes

I will only pack reusable cutlery, drinkware and containers in my family's lunches to reduce plastic waste.

COMPLETED 15
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

Choose Reusable Food Storage

I will only use reusable containers instead of single-use plastic storage items (such as plastic wrap, single-use sandwich bags).

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Family + Pets

Homemade Pet Treats

I will prepare my own pet treats to avoid plastic packaging.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Community

Learn about Environmental Justice

Using the action resource links below, my family will spend 5 minutes learning about environmental justice, causes of environmental injustice, and how plastic waste disproportionately impacts already vulnerable communities.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Glass Bottle Baby

I will replace 1 plastic bottles with glass or stainless steel alternatives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bathroom

Homemade or Refillable Cleaners

I will make my own cleaning products or choose plastic-free, refillable options.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bathroom

That Was a Close Shave

I will replace my disposable razors with steel razors.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bathroom

Pearly Whites

I will switch to a plastic-free toothpaste — whether purchased or DIY'd.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bathroom

Eco Deodorant

I will switch to a plastic-free deodorant — whether purchased or DIY'd.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Study

Numbers Everywhere

The numbers #1-7 on plastics tell us a lot - and can help us be better recyclers. I will learn what these numbers mean and which types of plastics are accepted for recycling in my area.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Study

Follow the Chasing Arrows

The chasing arrows symbol we associate with recycling doesn't always actually mean something is recyclable. I will spend at least 5 minutes learning the different meanings the symbol can have.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Kitchen

Go Strawless

I will keep 2 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill per day by refusing straws or using my own reusable straw.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Use Reusable Utensils

I will keep 1 plastic cutlery out of the landfill per day by using my own reusable cutlery.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Skip Plastic Bags

When possible, I will not use disposable bags when shopping, including produce bags.

COMPLETED 20
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?

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Kitchen Choose Reusable Food Storage
    How can you think outside the box (or bag!) when it comes to disposables?

    Madison Anderson's avatar
    Madison Anderson 7/28/2023 2:34 PM
    When making pasta I use the glass sauce jar to put the left overs in. I did not think about using it after that for something else until I read one of the articles. I have also used glass pickle jars and other glass jars for propagating my plants!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Family + Pets Homemade Pet Treats
    How could you reduce your waste even further (i.e. by making pet treats out of kitchen scraps or about-to-go-bad produce)?

    Madison Anderson's avatar
    Madison Anderson 7/24/2023 11:54 AM
    I could be better about making sure I freeze some of their treats if I make too many. When I need to throw out a T-shirt (becasue it is not good enough to donate) I want to look at make a dog toy out of it!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Kitchen Skip Plastic Bags
    How difficult was this challenge for you? What made it easy or difficult?

    Madison Anderson's avatar
    Madison Anderson 7/13/2023 3:11 PM
    Having more than one that can fold up and go in my everyday backpack has helped! I just need to get better about putting them back in my purse or in my car when I am not using them.

  • Madison Anderson's avatar
    Madison Anderson 7/13/2023 3:09 PM
    I am glad that my fast fashion footprint is not high! I really try not to buy to clothes unless I need something. I did learn that my biggest spot for improvment is to buy more from secondhand shops. If anyone has recommendations let me know.

    • Sheila Coates's avatar
      Sheila Coates 7/15/2023 2:30 PM
      I don't have any suggestions for a specific shop, but would look to WDM as I have noted that items are in better shape.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Bedroom Practice Sustainable Fashion
    How can you express your personality, creativity, and values in ways that don't require fast fashion or buying more clothes and accessories?

    Madison Anderson's avatar
    Madison Anderson 7/13/2023 3:07 PM
    When I buy new jewlry I usually buy from an artist, small business, or second hand.
    When I did the quiz, the biggest improvement I can make is when I do need to replace an item of clothing.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Study Plastic History Buff
    How has learning about the history of single-use plastic shifted your mindset on plastics and their function within society?

    Madison Anderson's avatar
    Madison Anderson 7/11/2023 8:05 AM
    I understand more of 'throw away culture'. I had not heard of it before, but it makes perfecrt sense. I think to help with this I will bring reusables to my next family picnic/bbq!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Keep My Community Clean
    How does the act of picking up litter connect you more to your community?

    Madison Anderson's avatar
    Madison Anderson 7/11/2023 8:02 AM
    Forces you to go outside and look around more! I was looking for trash on my walk yesterday and found a bee species I had not yet seen!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Kitchen Glass Bottle Baby
    How can you take your commitment to sustainable living beyond yourself and your family? How can you, personally, work toward broader change?

    Madison Anderson's avatar
    Madison Anderson 7/10/2023 10:05 AM
    Answer questions when asked/commented about them. When someone mentions oh, you brought your own straw, I can say where I got it! When ever I can I talk about the place I go to refill my glass shampoo, hair oil, conditioner, and get bar soaps. It is in DSM and the owner sells local and not-so-local products.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Study Estimate Your Ecological Footprint
    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?

    Madison Anderson's avatar
    Madison Anderson 7/10/2023 9:57 AM
    Oh my, it was a LOT higher than I was expecting. I am renting, so there is not too much I can do with my housing. One easy way right now is purchasing more locally grown foods. I could also try doing vegitarian meals once or twice a month to start. If anyone has good places to find recipes, let me know!

    • Lindsay Keast's avatar
      Lindsay Keast 7/10/2023 9:13 PM
      Oh She Glows is an app with some great vegan recipes! I love the 10-Spice Soup.

    • Krystina Jarvis's avatar
      Krystina Jarvis 7/10/2023 10:54 AM
      Something that I've learned over the years as I've tried to reduce my meat consumption is that vegan recipes are typically better than vegetarian. Vegetarian relies a lot on cheese, whereas vegan recipes are more focused on flavors and spices to actually make the meal delicious, not just cheesy lol

      Pinterest is usually my go-to!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Kitchen Go Strawless
    Have you noticed a shift in your community as more messaging about reusable straws becomes mainstream? Cite some examples.

    Madison Anderson's avatar
    Madison Anderson 7/05/2023 3:13 PM
    Unfortunately, I have not seen many switch to reuasble straws anywhere other than at the zoo or at the place where I bought the straws. There is a coffee shop not too far from the zoo that does not use plastic straws, but they do not have signage or anything about bringing your own...