Gracen Herrin

South Carolina Aquarium

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
250 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

21

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

6.0

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

8.0

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

30

minutes

spent learning

Gracen's actions

Kitchen

Go Strawless

Each year, the International Coastal Cleanup reports that plastic straws and stirrers are one of the Top 10 most-collected items from their cleanups (top 5 in the US!). I will keep 3 plastic straws and/or stirrers out of the landfill each day by refusing straws or using my own reusable straw.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Fill a Water Bottle

Bottled water corporations make plastic bottles, not water. If the tap water in my area is safe for consumption, I will use a reusable bottle instead and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 5 disposable plastic bottles a day.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Use a Reusable Mug

Even just one to-go coffee or tea a week adds up to 52 trashed cups in a year! I will avoid sending 2 disposable cups to the landfill per day by using a reusable mug or travel cup.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Study

Borrowed Books

The average paperback book has the same carbon footprint of driving about 7 miles (11 km) in an average car. Instead of purchasing new books this month, I will borrow books, e-books, and/or audiobooks from my local library or library-affiliated apps, or host a book swap with my friends.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Study

Greenwashing Pro

Greenwashing can fool even the most experienced eco-advocate. This month, I will spend 30 minutes learning what greenwashing is, how to spot it, and what I can do about it.

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

Study

Plastic History Buff

Single-use plastics are everywhere, but that wasn't always the case. I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about the history of single-use plastics and how it became ubiquitous in our daily lives.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 Go Strawless

Have you noticed any changes in your community around plastic straws as awareness of plastic pollution has grown over the last few years?

Gracen Herrin 7/09/2024 6:36 AM

Many restaurants in and around Charleston have made the switch from plastic straws to paper straws, which is a vital step in the right direction. That being said, I am not sure if it is just the generation of people who live here, but all of the people over the age of 45 in my family and around the city seem to think this is one of the worst things to happen to us. They hate that they disintegrate, taste funky, and overall put off bad vibes. Even with this, they are the first to make fun of me for always using a reusable straw, lol! I feel like this just kind of reflects how some people and generations do not really try to make efforts to be more sustainable because even being prompted with temporary solutions, they still find a way to complain and make it a negative issue.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Study Greenwashing Pro

As you were learning about greenwashing, were there any companies you previously supported that you now think might be greenwashing us? How can you tell?

Gracen Herrin 7/02/2024 8:14 AM

I am not really sure of any companies that I suspect are capable of greenwashing, but I do think, having read about this issue, that a significant number of companies can be found guilty of this. I was a little shocked to have found out that Nestle has been shown to greenwash their products, not because I was a major supporter or thought that they were better than this, but because all of their recent move to even more sustainable sourcing of cocoa and being part of the Fair-Trade Alliance for the steps to create this treat. Currently, their products are advertised with this on nearly all of their packaging. With this in mind, part of me presumed that they would have a greater inclination to be more environmentally conscious in their packaging and reports to the public due to their history with sustainable efforts.

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- Kate Byrd 7/03/2024 2:57 AM
  
  It’s interesting that you focused on Nestle because they are a company with such a horrific history. I’ve boycotted them from the late 70’s because of their practice of pushing formula in 3rd world countries as the better choice and their environmental policies are so damaging. They are a difficult company to boycott because they own so many companies.
  
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- Mackenzie Blevins 7/02/2024 8:23 AM
  
  I was saddened to read that even major clothing brands that boast "green" lines or products typically only use more sustainable practices on those few clothing items, while creating massive amounts of waste with all of the other clothes sold. It gives the illusion of being environmentally friendly without actually having to commit.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Study Borrowed Books

Libraries have immense benefits for society. What are some cool resources your library has that might not be as well-known as book borrowing? What are some ways you advocate for libraries and share these resources with your community?

Gracen Herrin 7/02/2024 5:49 AM

My favorite part of my local library is their hold feature that allows users wait on a queue to check out a book that are then shipped to a library of their choice when their wait is up. In my opinion, this feature helps the libraries to practice even more sustainable initiatives in that they can transport hundreds of books every day/few days rather than someone driving an extra half hour to simply pick up a single book or what they want to read. I do think that I may be the library's number one fan because I feel like I am always recommending them and telling all of my friends about the cool books that I checked out from the library that I may not have ever thought to purchase from the store or online!

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- Kate Byrd 7/03/2024 7:56 AM
  
  As a retired librarian, I could go on and on. 😊 Just a few things:
  —electronic and audio books in Libby and Hoopla. The best is when I can get both of the same title so I can go back and forth between them.
  —magazines again because so many are available electronically.
  —no paper receipts (which likely contains bisphenols) anymore because I can get my receipt emailed to me.
  —a seed library and all branches have bee observation hives with education about the importance of pollinators.
  —state park and museum passes
  —a Library of Things, which is so neat: https://pickenscountylibrarysystem.com/services/libraryofthings/
  
  I’m a longtime member of the Friends of the Library and I advocate for public libraries at county council meetings and on social media and to anyone who will listen. 😊
  
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