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Kelly Dillow's avatar

Kelly Dillow

OKC Zoo and Botanical Garden

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 2,495 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    5.0
    pounds
    waste avoided
  • UP TO
    106
    pieces of litter
    picked up
  • UP TO
    35
    pounds of paper
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    3.0
    public officials or leaders
    contacted
  • UP TO
    557
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    26
    minutes
    spent learning

Kelly's 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

Bathroom

Bidet All Day

The average American uses about 141 rolls of toilet paper each year, most of which is wrapped in plastic film. To cut down on my toilet paper usage, I will install a bidet in my bathroom.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bedroom

Proper Clothing Care

All those symbols on our clothes, sheets, and towels actually have meanings! To ensure that I'm caring for my clothes properly, I will spend 5 minutes learning what the care symbols mean and laundry best practices to make all of my textiles last as long as possible.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family + Pets

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 26
DAILY ACTIONS

Bedroom

Declutter Sustainably

While it can be tempting to throw away (or drop off at Goodwill) any and everything that no longer brings us joy, there are so many options that are better for the planet! This month, I will declutter my home and properly dispose or re-home the things I no longer want.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Study

Buy Only What I Need

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

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Bedroom

Rethink Returns

While most stores offer lenient return policies, what actually happens to all of those returns? I will spend 10 minutes learning about what happens to returns and how I can make better purchasing decisions to avoid returns in the future.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family + Pets

Mend and Repair

We've all got it - that thing in the back of our closet we keep saying we'll fix "one day." I will make today that day by learning how to mend or repair ripped or broken items in my home - or by finding a local offering to do it for me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Write Letters, Emails or Sign Petitions

I will write or sign 1 letters, emails or petitions per day to advocate for plastic-free or planet-friendly policies.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Bathroom

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 25
DAILY ACTIONS

Bedroom

Recycling Textiles

Every single textile ever made will, at some point, become worn out - and dealing with that waste costs millions of tax dollars every year. I will spend 10 minutes learning about the different types of textile recycling and creating a plan for what I'll do with my clothes and other textiles when they are too worn out to use anymore.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Keep My Community Clean

In addition to refusing and reducing my consumption of single-use plastics, I will pick up 3 piece(s) of litter each day of the Plastic Free Ecochallenge.

COMPLETED 25
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Learn about Environmental Justice

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Study

Recycle My Tech

There's value in our old electronics! This month, I will properly recycle any old laptops, tablets, cell phones, or other electronics I have lying around so the raw materials can be reused and reduce demand for virgin materials - thereby also protecting critical wildlife habitat for animals such as gorillas and forest elephants.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Go For a Walk

Science has shown that focused time in nature calms our over-worked frontal lobe and gives space for the areas of our brain associated with emotions, pleasure, and empathy to take over, providing a sense of calm that is measurable in brain scans and even blood tests. Each day this month, I will spend 10 minutes outside in nature, and share my observations, reflections, and learnings on the Participant Feed.

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Bathroom
    There are many benefits to using a bidet, including health, environmental, and economic benefits. Which of these benefits was most influential for you in making the switch to a bidet, and what has your experience been like since?

    Kelly Dillow's avatar
    Kelly Dillow 7/30/2024 7:16 AM
    Many years ago my brother in law got a bidet and my (young) daughter refused to poop anywhere else for about 3 months. Since then we have been fans of bidets but it took this challenge to finally get one for myself. We are excited about finally being bidet people at home!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Study
    Besides reusing materials, what are some other environmental, societal, and economical benefits of recycling our old electronics?

    Kelly Dillow's avatar
    Kelly Dillow 7/29/2024 9:59 AM
    The metals needed for electronics cause environmental and social harm from mining. By recycling electronics properly, we can reduce those harms as well as reduce costs associated with virgin production.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community
    What did you and your family learn about environmental justice? What questions came up for you? What feelings?

    Kelly Dillow's avatar
    Kelly Dillow 7/26/2024 11:28 AM
    My main thought is that I hope that the anti-DEIA rhetoric in politics doesn't affect environmental justice movements. As always, inequity is heartbreaking, and I felt sad reminded of all the different ways that people with less power are affected negatively by people with more power.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Bedroom
    Textile recycling is incredibly complicated for a myriad of reasons. After learning about the textile recycling process, how has your relationship with your clothing changed?

    Kelly Dillow's avatar
    Kelly Dillow 7/19/2024 12:40 PM
    I wouldn't say that my relationship with clothing has changed rather it just reinforces my existing habits with clothing.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Bedroom
    How has learning what happens to returns influenced how you make purchasing decisions?

    Kelly Dillow's avatar
    Kelly Dillow 7/18/2024 2:36 PM
    I am pretty lazy and have learned already that I am unlikely to return items, so I rarely buy things online. I have also seen first-hand from my previous job the impact of returns in landfills (although I did not realize the extent of the problem). I don't think this info will change my behavior any, but I do still find it valuable to have learned more!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Bedroom
    Compared to your previous experiences with decluttering, how was this experience with sustainable decluttering different?

    Kelly Dillow's avatar
    Kelly Dillow 7/17/2024 1:01 PM
    Even though I know better, I typically donate all my items to Goodwill because it is easy. I worked with a friend to donate some items that were specifically requested by a neighbor in need, and I posted other items for free.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community
    How might thinking creatively help us address big systems problems - like plastic pollution - differently?

    Kelly Dillow's avatar
    Kelly Dillow 7/17/2024 12:56 PM
    We have a tendency to think that there is one big solution to problems, and creative thinking helps us get out of that mindset.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Bedroom
    Fast fashion depends on consumers buying into constantly changing trends, only wearing their clothes a handful of times, then tossing and buying more. How can you combat those influences to create a more sustainable wardrobe you'll love, value, and care for long-term?

    Kelly Dillow's avatar
    Kelly Dillow 7/11/2024 2:19 PM
    I think there are probably a lot of different strategies for this from developing a unique style that you feel good in to avoiding consuming too much media around trends to purchasing "timeless" clothing (I still feel like that is a scam??). For me I just don't buy new things until my current things wear out. A lot of times that means I am not fashionable, but I enjoy the freedom that can come with not worrying about that.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Bathroom
    Besides the economic benefits of using the things we already own, how can this practice impact our lives in other ways and influence the way we interact with "things"?

    Kelly Dillow's avatar
    Kelly Dillow 7/09/2024 2:01 PM
    Things take on less allure, which is helpful financially and environmentally, but I think also for emotional health as well. A culture of consumerism takes advantage of the existing human nature to hoard resources, but also manipulates our sense of inadequacy by promising that a purchase is going to change us in some way. Using what we have can in some ways be a form of self-love, because we are already good enough!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Study
    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?

    Kelly Dillow's avatar
    Kelly Dillow 7/09/2024 1:57 PM
    I have been a neurotic level under spender for as long as I can remember, so this was not a huge adjustment for me. So far what I have noticed the most is how sad I am that I have to use up all of my tea before I can buy new tea. It has been good to use up things I already have but to go from a delicious morning chai to peppermint has been ALMOST as devastating as single use plastics. In general, I think paying attention to my unnecessary spending/purchasing is such a great practice for the planet and my finances.