Nicole Brown

If you’re looking for ideas on how to begin or continue the journey of a zero waste lifestyle, join the Office of Sustainability for one of our BYOB virtual Lunch & Learns on zero waste living! As part of the Plastic Free July Ecochallenge, we will be giving our own tips, tricks, and recommendations for favorite zero waste items and habits, and hoping to hear about yours as well!

I will either line my trash cans with repurposed newspaper or paper bags, or I will not line my trash cans at all.

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

I will swap out 1 prepackaged snacks a day for fresh fruits or veggies.

I will conduct a waste audit - including recyclables and compost - to understand how much waste I create and where I can reduce the most.

If you’re looking for ideas on how to begin or continue the journey of a zero waste lifestyle, join the Office of Sustainability for one of our BYOB virtual Lunch & Learns on zero waste living! As part of the Plastic Free July Ecochallenge, we will be giving our own tips, tricks, and recommendations for favorite zero waste items and habits, and hoping to hear about yours as well!

If at all possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases, including produce bags.

I will purchase produce items without plastic packaging, making sure to wash them well before using them.

I will prepare 1 meal(s) at home each day without using any items packaged in single-use plastic.

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

Come to this virtual townhall to discuss WashU's plastic usage and how we can use university resources to systematically reduce that.

To kick off Plastic Free July, join us outside Schnuck Pavilion on Danforth Campus anytime between 4:30 and 6 pm to upcycle an old t-shirt into a tote bag! This is also a great opportunity to socialize as well as learn more about the Plastic-Free Ecochallenge.

The sustainability team at the Med school is hosting a virtual discussion on the life cycle of plastic on Wednesday, June 30th, from 12PM-1PM. This is a great opportunity to learn more about plastic as well as how to participate in this Ecochallenge!

Using the action resource links below, my family will spend 10 minutes learning about environmental justice, causes of environmental injustice, and how plastic waste disproportionately impacts already vulnerable communities.

I will give up gum or choose gum made from chicle or other plastic-free gum bases.

I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill per day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 10 minutes researching which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community and recycle only those items.

I will give a shout-out on social media to a local company, coworker, friend or family member for their plastic free or green efforts.

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

I will visit the rePurpose website, complete the 3-minute plastic consumption calculator, and explore how I can reBalance my annual plastic footprint.