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Christina Hummel-Colla's avatar

Christina Hummel-Colla

L.A. Zoo Team Angeleno Plastic Eliminators (Team APE)

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 725 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    9.0
    pounds
    food waste prevented
  • UP TO
    5.0
    pounds
    waste avoided
  • UP TO
    1.0
    plastic bottle
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    35
    pounds of paper
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    5.0
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    30
    minutes
    spent learning

Christina's actions

Bedroom

Multiple Wears Before Washing

The simple, necessary, daily act of washing our clothes slowly degrades the quality of our clothes due to the friction involved in the process. To extend the life of my clothes, whenever possible, I will wear items multiple times before washing.

COMPLETED 2
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

Bathroom

Homemade or Refillable Cleaners

Surface cleaners, glass cleaners, floor cleaners, oven cleaners, toilet cleaners...there's a whole lot of plastic waste involved in cleaning our homes - plus ingredients that can be harmful to aquatic ecosystems and our health. This month, I will make my own cleaning products or choose plastic-free, refillable options.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Skip Plastic Bags

Whenever possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when shopping, including produce bags. I will either use my own reusable bags, or keep my items loose.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Bathroom

Brush with Bamboo

In the US, about 1 billion toothbrushes are thrown away each year. And because plastic is designed to last, nearly every plastic toothbrush ever created still exists. When it's time to replace my current toothbrush, I will replace it with a plastic-free bamboo option.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bathroom

Travel Toiletries

Travel-size toiletries aren't just more expensive per ounce, they also have a higher plastic-to-contents ratio, and result in over 980 tonnes (2.2 million pounds) of plastic waste each year. If traveling this month, I will reuse my old travel tubes to refill with my soaps or only bring bar soaps with me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bedroom

Natural Fibers

When available, I will purchase clothing and bedding made with natural fibers, such as cotton, linen, or wool, rather than synthetic fibers.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Plastic-Free Produce Storage

Produce doesn't need to be stored in plastic bags to stay fresh! I will learn how to properly store my produce to extend its freshness without single-use plastic.

COMPLETED 0
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

Bedroom

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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Study

Complete a Waste Audit

I will conduct a waste audit of my trash and recycling to understand how much waste I create and create a plan for where I can reduce the most.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bedroom

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family + Pets

Get Rid of Glitter

I will teach my little ones about microplastics while we do a craft project together using glitter alternatives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Kitchen

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 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Clean Plate Club

When I need to replace my dish soap, I will switch to a bar or refillable option.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Start Composting

Composting isn't just good for soil! Composting your food scraps and other organic materials decreases your overall trash output, so you don't have to take the trash out as often and extend the life of your trash bags (i.e. use less plastic!). This month, I will start a compost collection at home, work, or school and avoid sending 1 pounds of food waste to landfill each day.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Kitchen

Fight Local Food Waste

Who says saving money and saving the planet don't go together? Using an app like Too Good To Go or Flashfood, I'll help rescue food from local bakeries, restaurants, and grocery stores that would otherwise go to waste.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Study

Better Highlighters

Instead of buying new plastic highlighters, I will simply use colored pencils instead for all of my highlighting needs.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Bedroom

Catch Those Microfibers

When we wash our clothes, the heat and friction causes our clothes to wear down, releasing microfibers into the water stream. To combat and prevent these microfibers as much as possible, in addition to following best laundry practices, I will use a microfiber catcher in my laundry, or install a microfiber filter for my washing machine.

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
    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?

    Christina Hummel-Colla's avatar
    Christina Hummel-Colla 7/31/2024 12:33 PM
    I learned that my ecological footprint, while lower than the average US citizen, is still much higher than I would like it to be. According to the Ecological Footprint Calculator, my personal Earth Overshoot Day is March 21. If everyone lived like me, then we would need 4.5 Earths to support humanity (compared to 5 Earths average for the USA as a whole). This result isn't entirely surprising, though I had hoped I would be further along in my efforts at this point. I feel a little disappointed in myself, and worried about the future. That being said, learning more about my ecological footprint gives me a lot of information about how I can improve. One major takeaway that using the Ecological Footprint Calculator confirmed is that I can make a big improvement in my personal life by cutting back on processed and packaged food, and getting back to making more meals with fresh and locally produced foods.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Bedroom Declutter Sustainably
    Compared to your previous experiences with decluttering, how was this experience with sustainable decluttering different?

    Christina Hummel-Colla's avatar
    Christina Hummel-Colla 7/30/2024 1:12 PM
    Sustainable decluttering takes more time and effort, but it's worth it. I had an Ikea table left behind by a former roommate that I needed to get rid of, and after a bit of research discovered that Ikea actually has a buy back program where they resell old furniture in their As Is section. Participating in this program took a bit more effort (I had to remove the legs to get them in my car, then put them back on before taking the table into the store) than just dumping the table on the sidewalk and calling for a bulky item pickup, but it was totally worth it. I even got a bit of store credit to use next time I'm looking for something!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Kitchen Skip Plastic Bags
    It can be easy to forget to bring your reusable bags to the store with you - especially if you're going somewhere besides the grocery store. What are your favorite ways to remember your reusable bags?

    Christina Hummel-Colla's avatar
    Christina Hummel-Colla 7/25/2024 1:43 PM
    I make sure to keep my reusable bags in multiple places - I keep a few in the backseat of my car, a couple in the purse I usually take with me on my days off, and a couple in the backpack I take with me to work. Making sure to keep a couple small reusable bags in my purse is especially helpful; that way I don't even have to remember them until I need them at checkout!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Family + Pets Get Rid of Glitter
    How can you and your little one exercise your creativity without creating more plastic waste?

    Christina Hummel-Colla's avatar
    Christina Hummel-Colla 7/10/2024 7:26 PM
    I work at a public library and one of my programs is the "Arts and Scraps" take and make kits, which came out of a teen volunteer project. Every month we release a kit featuring a new upcycling craft project for the kids. Though we don't usually use glitter to begin with, I've rounded up the glitter at work to be ecobricked and placed an order for bioglitter from The Good Glitter. I am looking forward to using the bioglitter for more fabulous crafts that I hope the kiddos will love, and to having an opportunity to engage as a community with sustainable creative expression.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Kitchen Start Composting
    Do an inventory of how much food waste you would save from going to the landfill if you start composting all of the time. What are the added benefits of having compost that is readily accessible?

    Christina Hummel-Colla's avatar
    Christina Hummel-Colla 7/10/2024 10:23 AM
    I love gardening, so one obvious benefit of having compost that is readily accessible is being able to use it for plants! I'm not the best at remembering to give my plants mulch or fertilizer, so I hope that building up a habit of composting will also encourage me to improve my plant care skills.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Kitchen Embrace Imperfection
    How has embracing imperfection impacted your plastic-free journey?

    Christina Hummel-Colla's avatar
    Christina Hummel-Colla 7/09/2024 12:15 PM
    It's a helpful reminder to appreciate and be grateful for the changes I have already been able to make on my plastic-free journey. There's still a lot more to do, but embracing imperfection reminds me that this is a long-term process, not a one-and-done action.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Bathroom Bidet All Day
    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?

    Christina Hummel-Colla's avatar
    Christina Hummel-Colla 7/09/2024 12:12 PM
    The health and environmental benefits were primarily what prompted me to make the switch. I had actually purchased the bidet some time ago, but had never gotten around to actually installing it. So when I saw this action included in the ecochallenge, it gave me the push I needed to finally install and start using the bidet! It's still a bit early to assess my experience using it, but I look forward to trying it and feeling cleaner when I leave the restroom.