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Welcome to Plastic Free Ecochallenge!

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Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums
Plastic Free Ecochallenge
July 1 - July 31, 2019

Sam Peterson

San Antonio Zoo Crew

Points Total

  • 0 Today
  • 0 This Week
  • 1,346 Total

Participant Impact

  • up to
    1
    community events
    hosted or attended
  • up to
    2
    documentaries
    watched
  • up to
    12
    conversations
    with people
  • up to
    95
    minutes
    spent learning
  • up to
    30
    petitions
    signed
  • up to
    1
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill

Challenges

Lifestyle

Buy Only What I Need

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

COMPLETED 30
DAILY CHALLENGES

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 Challenge

Lifestyle

Homemade Cleaners

I will make my own cleaning products at home.

Completed
One-Time Challenge

Community

Host a House Party

I will host a house party with friends and/or colleagues to watch a movie or present a guest speaker on plastics.

Completed
One-Time Challenge

Food

Visit the Butcher

I will purchase meats and cheeses from the deli counter or a butcher shop, and use my own containers to do so.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY CHALLENGES

Community

Sign a Petition

I will sign a petition in support of a plastic-related initiative in my state/province.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY CHALLENGES

Family

Discover Together

I will spend 5 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.

Completed
One-Time Challenge

Food

Advocate For More Food Packaging Options

I will advocate for alternatives to single use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, or work.

Completed
One-Time Challenge

Create Your Own Action

Plant-Based Protein

Replace at least two meals of chicken per week with plant-based protein instead. I rarely eat red meat already and go meatless several times a month, but I'm trying to increase that. It's healthier as well as better for the environment. There are limited options for chicken without packaging at my stores, so this will eliminate that waste.

COMPLETED 31
DAILY CHALLENGES

Feed

  • Sam Peterson 7/31/2019 11:49 AM
    I'm happy to have completed all my actions and had a pretty successful 2nd PFJ, but a bit sad that the challenge is ending.  I managed to keep the habits from last year so I should be able to do the same this time, plus think about what else I can add going forward.  
    Read More
  • Sam Peterson 7/30/2019 12:08 PM
    I've been using Swedish dishcloths for a couple of weeks now and they've really made a difference.  Anything where I'd normally reach for a pick-a-size paper towel, I've now trained myself to choose the dishcloth instead.  This challenge is great for making me look for ways to reduce all waste, not just plastic.  I always end up thinking about how my grandparents would have done something back before we had access to all these "modern conveniences" that are killing the planet and our pocketbooks.
    Read More
  • Sam Peterson 7/29/2019 1:42 PM
    I finished up some inherited cleaning chemicals over the weekend and repurposed the containers for homemade ones that work better and don't smell so toxic.  I had to laugh that the main ingredient in scrubs like Comet and Ajax is baking soda.  Somewhere along the line consumers were tricked into paying more for the same product, just with added coloring and unnecessary chemicals.  Yup, my name is Boo Boo the Fool!
    Read More
  • Sam Peterson 7/28/2019 11:11 PM
    Had a gift card to get ice cream yesterday and used the survey to advocate for less waste in Baskin Robbins packaging and serving options.  They must throw away a ton of plastic spoons for their free samples - those could easily be bamboo or reusable stainless steel to collect and wash. 
    Read More
  • Sam Peterson 7/27/2019 8:27 PM
    Buying only what I need for health/safety has been pretty easy this month.  Is it just me or is the majority of stuff on shelves and hangars these days just not very good quality?  Seems like a lot of cheap tat made from synthetic materials that won’t last and don’t look or feel very nice to wear or use.  I wish it were easier to find second-hand/vintage/antique things.  The problem is every year we’re getting further from the decades when things were crafted to last, so it’s rarer to find what you need in usable condition.  I have noticed a positive trend among the younger generation of wanting to learn more DIY/crafting/homesteading skills like their grandparents had, so hopefully that won’t fall by the wayside.
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  • Sam Peterson 7/26/2019 1:02 PM
    Just one more weekend left of PFJ!  I'm kind of sad but excited to keep the habits going all year, and to see what other actions I can take moving forward.  It would be awesome to be fully zero-waste by next PFJ - a girl can dream!
    Read More
  • Sam Peterson 7/25/2019 2:19 PM
    My usual stores didn't stock shampoo bars before, but now Target has started carrying a new sustainable beauty brand.  I will have to try it when my bar runs out and see if I can cut back on emissions even more by eliminating a separate trip.
    Read More
  • Sam Peterson 7/24/2019 9:51 AM
    With just a week left to go, how's everyone feeling about being able to keep up the new habits after July?  After last year's challenge it was harder to find new actions this year since I'd continued the original ones, but it just shows that there's always something we can do to improve.
    Read More
  • Sam Peterson 7/23/2019 4:26 PM
    Saw a plastic bag blowing around on the highway this morning on the way to work and it was too dangerous to try to grab it.  I just know it's going to end up in some poor animal.  :-(  We need to do better, humans!
    Read More
  • Sam Peterson 7/22/2019 1:25 PM
    Found it tough to watch the documentary "The Plastic Whale,"  although the tone was hopeful at the end.  It's disgusting and infuriating to me how the laziness and carelessness of our species is killing so many others and the planet as a whole.  I hope it is not too late now that more people are finally starting to do something about it.
    Read More
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