Alison Edwards

My husband and I will soon be moving in to a new home. Our new kitchen will have much more food storage space and we will soon live closer to a grocery store  with a great bulk food section. I have already bought glass jars and containers that I am excited to begin using and re-using. 

What are some things I should keep on hand that are more convenient and cost effective than having to buy over and over again in plastic packaging?

This weekend I decided to make cookies from scratch instead of buying break and bakes (with the dreaded plastic packaging) but chocolate chips come in plastic packaging too. What I came to realize is that even when you try to make an informed and environmentally friendly treat for yourself it is more difficult and involved than you plan for. 

This weekend I would like to watch atleast one documentary. Does anyone have any recommendations? 

I have noticed that a lot of you have been tracking your 'minutes spent learning'. Can someone please tell me how to track my own minutes?

My husband and I have a 5 month old puppy. When we are out for walks, if I am not diligently watching her, Lucy will pick up and eat trash. Watching out for her has made me increasingly more aware of just how much litter is in our neighborhood that I would consider generally clean. It saddens me to say that after our first morning walk, I have almost always already picked up my two pieces of litter for the day and will still find more on walks with Lucy throughout the day.

This year, in honor of the challenge, I asked that my families socially distant 4th of July gathering be plastic free. It was a little different from our usual picnic style gathering but was just as easy to use re-usable plates, cups and cutlery since our crowd was small and we were in the back yard anyhow! 

The challenge officially starts in two weeks! My goal for the next two weeks is to invite at least one new teammate each day. Today, I sent out five invitations.  Remember, this initiative is open to everyone :) 

The challenge hasn't even officially begun but I am already learning so much! Today I read that "refineries where crude oil is turned into plastic make up one of the most greenhouse gas intensive industries in the manufacturing sector". Reducing plastic use = reducing green house gas emissions. Along with the actions I have selected, one of my goals is to learn a lot! I look forward to learning with my team :) 

Hi All, we are so excited to have you on our team for this years Plastic Free Ecochallenge! If you haven't already, please spend some time looking through the actions and pick some that you will do during the month of July. One super cool feature under each action is a link to learn more about the said action. Want to make your own makeup but you need to learn how? Check out the 'learn more' link!
Have a great idea for an action that isn't already an option? Create your own!