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Mango Norenberg's avatar

Mango Norenberg

The Maryland Zoo

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 275 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    5.0
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    2.0
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill

Mango's actions

Family + Pets

Get Rid of Glitter

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family + Pets

Thrifty Pets

I will find secondhand sources for my pet's water/food dishes, collars or leashes.

UNCOMPLETED
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

Study

Print in Draft Mode

To extend the life of my ink cartridges, I will set my printer default to draft mode to use less ink or toner per print job.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Meatless Meals

There are many benefits to enjoying meatless meals - including reducing our plastic footprint. Most meats and dairy products are packaged in plastic, so this month, I will reduce my animal product consumption and enjoy 1 vegetarian or vegan meals each day.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

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 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Is it trash...or a trash bag?

The plastic industry has convinced us that some plastic bags are "trash bags," while others are just "trash." Instead of throwing empty bags away (such as bread bags, pet food bags, etc.), I will reuse them as trash bags.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

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 3
DAILY ACTIONS

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 Embrace Imperfection
    How has embracing imperfection impacted your plastic-free journey?

    Mango Norenberg's avatar
    Mango Norenberg 7/23/2024 7:23 PM
    For this year's Plastic Free Eco Challenge, this is just one way to remind myself that in conservation, the only thing one can really do to make an impact is their best. It's a bit cliche, but nobody is perfect and even the smallest action/life adjustment works!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Kitchen Is it trash...or a trash bag?
    It's only "single-use" if it's only used once! What are some other creative ways to reuse unavoidable "single-use" items?

    Mango Norenberg's avatar
    Mango Norenberg 7/23/2024 7:20 PM
    We save the sturdier paper bags for multiple future uses!

  • Mango Norenberg's avatar
    Mango Norenberg 7/11/2024 4:19 PM
    I have a lot of dietary restrictions and we don't eat a lot of meat at breakfast, so including plant-based protein sources at breakfast have been effective, creative ways to preserve the planet and stay healthy!

  • Mango Norenberg's avatar
    Mango Norenberg 7/08/2024 12:59 PM
    Re-using plastic bags originally for food have been an effective way to avoid buying more plastic bags as trash bags!