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Welcome to Plastic Free Ecochallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Plastic Free Ecochallenge expert in no time!

Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums
Plastic Free Ecochallenge
July 1 - July 31, 2020

Jacqui McGrath

American College of Healthcare Sciences

Points Total

  • 0 Today
  • 0 This Week
  • 1,371 Total

Participant Impact

  • up to
    1
    community events
    hosted or attended
  • up to
    1
    documentaries
    watched
  • up to
    135
    minutes
    spent learning
  • up to
    529
    pieces of litter
    picked up
  • up to
    5
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill

Jacqui's Actions

Lifestyle

Watch a Documentary

I will watch a documentary film about waste with family and friends and talk about what we learned.

Completed
One-Time Action

Lifestyle

Homemade Cleaners

I will make 5 of my own cleaning products at home.

Completed
One-Time Action

Personal Care

Just Say No

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl.

COMPLETED 31
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Watch a Plastic Free July Webinar!

Educate yourself on the benefits of going plastic free by viewing one of our Plastic Free July webinars.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

Fresh as a Daisy

I will use deodorant either from a bar or a jar or I will make my own.

Completed
One-Time Action

Family

Discover Together

I will spend 30 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.

Completed
One-Time Action

Lifestyle

Buy Only What I Need

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

COMPLETED 31
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 3 piece(s) of litter each day while following the CDC’s current guidelines for prevention of disease transfer.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Join a Cleanup Effort

I will host or participate in a beach, highway, river, or other cleanup effort in my community that follows the CDC’s current guidelines for prevention of disease transfer.

Completed
One-Time Action

Feed

  • Jacqui McGrath 8/02/2020 4:47 AM
    July is over, but/and our work is not! For anyone that hasn't seen the Story of Plastic yet, check it out and consider hosting a virtual screening (free!): https://www.storyofplastic.org/  There are some great educational resources to accompany the film: https://algalita.org/story-of-plastic/
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  • Jacqui McGrath 7/31/2020 5:09 AM
    Woo Hoo - let's keep this momentum going!! xoxo
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  • Jacqui McGrath 7/29/2020 7:21 AM
    Plastic free July rocks!! I was just studying this graphic I saved last year and see how far I've come (and yet, how far I still have to go) to eliminate single use plastics from my life. It's been so inspiring for me to read everyone's posts and know that we're in this together, each taking steps in the plastic free direction.
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  • Jacqui McGrath 7/28/2020 7:07 AM
    Action opportunity! Since watching the film Tapped, I've become passionate about keeping the rights to our precious drinking water from private companies who want to bottle it (in single use plastic!!!) and sell it back to us. I am calling my senators today to ask them to oppose the "Voluntary Water Partnership for Distressed Communities Act" and ask them to make sure that water privatization is not incentivized in the America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 (S. 3591). You can learn more about it here.  
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    • Natalie DeWitt 7/28/2020 1:08 PM
      This is great, thanks so much!!!
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    • Jacqui McGrath 7/28/2020 7:09 AM
      Here are some talking points offered in case you want to call, too :)
      Hi, my name is [your name] and I live in [your state]. I'm calling to ask that the Senator join over 300 grassroots groups and oppose the Voluntary Water Partnership for Distressed Communities Act (S. 2596) and oppose its inclusion in America's Water Infrastructure Act (S. 3591).
      The practice of water privatization has contributed to higher rates, cost-cutting that jeopardizes water quality, and job layoffs across the world, and too often disproportionately impacts Black, Latinx, and low-income communities.
      This bill would not only provide incentives for local decision-makers to privatize water systems but also fails to ensure system compliance with drinking water quality standards. COVID-19 has once again shown how critical access to clean and affordable water is for public health and what we need now is increased federal funding for our water systems, not the false promises contained within S. 2596 that hijack vital funding needed for our drinking water.
      Thank you.
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  • Jacqui McGrath 7/27/2020 10:15 AM
    Jess Goss will be sharing invaluable information for holistic health practitioners who want to make their businesses as ecologically sustainable (and simultaneously cutting edge and successful) as possible. Tomorrow (Tues, July 28th) at 3pm Pacific time... don't miss it! 
    Read More
  • Jacqui McGrath 7/25/2020 3:40 AM
    Our ACHS team ranks second among all of the school teams in the ecochallenge (and we're not far behind the #1 team, a teaching zoo). It'd be AWESOME to finish as the #1 school this year. We can do this! 
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  • Jacqui McGrath 7/24/2020 8:22 AM
    Ever since I researched plastics last month I wanted to see the Story of Plastic. The website and film trailer caught my attention and I tried in vain to sign up for a couple of community screenings but found that they were sold out (which I took as a really great sign)! So, I reached out to see if we could do our own community screening and they said YES!  ACHS will be launching our virtual screening event next week, but meanwhile I wanted to share the news here with our team first since 'seating' is limited to 200 views. I encourage you to sign up and host a viewing at your house with a small quaranTEAM of your own :) Here's the link:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/achs-free-viewing-of-the-story-of-plastic-tickets-114610458968
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  • Reflection Question
    Lifestyle Watch a Documentary
    Which documentary did you choose to watch? What did you learn?
    Jacqui McGrath 7/24/2020 8:21 AM
    I chose the Story of Plastic. The website and film trailer caught my attention and I tried in vain to sign up for a couple of community screenings but found that they were sold out (which I took as a really great sign)! So, I reached out to see if we could do our own community screening and they said YES!  ACHS will be launching our virtual screening event next week, but meanwhile I wanted to share the news here with our team first since 'seating' is limited to 200 views. I encourage you to sign up and host a viewing at your house with a small quaranTEAM of your own :) Here's the link:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/achs-free-viewing-of-the-story-of-plastic-tickets-114610458968
    Read More
    • Jacqui McGrath 7/24/2020 8:28 AM
      uh oh - I tried to delete this comment and replace it with one that would only be viewable for our team, but I don't see a way to do so. In any case, if people from other teams are reading this I humbly ask that you reach out to me at jacquimcgrath@achs.edu if you would like to join our virtual screening. I want to make sure our 200 tickets get used wisely, preferably by folks who would like to attend the post screening Ecochallenge "wrap" webinar on August 4th.
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  • Jacqui McGrath 7/24/2020 4:30 AM
    I'm with Susan on equity, realized that I haven't stepped out of my comfort zone to make any calls yet this month to advocate for those most affected by the plastic crisis. I found a worthwhile cause/call to make here, plan to call my Senator today - https://www.no-burn.org/sos/
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  • Jacqui McGrath 7/23/2020 7:05 AM
    Okay, I can't help sharing this one: https://superfoodgardensummit.com/ 
    I'm watching the replay for the microgreens talk with Crystal Meserole that is free today (and probably again at the end when/if there's a free replay weekend). She has such practical advice on getting started and lots of great tips on varieties of seeds, substrates, etc. Crystal makes a great point that growing microgreens is a great way to get lots of practice with seedlings indoors. It can be done almost anywhere. As a bonus, growing microgreens instead of buying them saves money AND single use plastic containers :)
    Read More
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