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Kelly Thorvalson's avatar

Kelly Thorvalson

South Carolina Aquarium

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,370 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    27
    whole food meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    45
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    1.0
    community event
    hosted or attended
  • UP TO
    1.0
    conversation
    with a person
  • UP TO
    300
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    10
    minutes
    spent learning

Kelly's actions

Kitchen

Save Jars for Reuse

Pinterest may want you to think that you need a cupboard full of matching mason jars, but reusing what we already have is one of the best ways to reduce our waste. This month, instead of recycling glass jars (such as pasta sauce, pickles, and salsa jars), I will save them to reuse for food storage.

COMPLETED 12
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 23
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Go For a Walk

Science has shown that focused time in nature calms our over-worked frontal lobe and gives space for the areas of our brain associated with emotions, pleasure, and empathy to take over, providing a sense of calm that is measurable in brain scans and even blood tests. Each day this month, I will spend 45 minutes outside in nature, and share my observations, reflections, and learnings on the Participant Feed.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Plant a Garden

I will plant an herb or vegetable garden using as little plastic as possible and to save from the plastic used buying herbs and veggies.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Dive Into Expiration Dates

Just because something is past its "expiration date," it might not actually be expired! I will spend 30 minutes learning about the difference between best by, use by, and sell by dates and how to tell if my food is actually expired.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Kitchen

Whole Foods Meals

Prioritizing whole foods is one of the most effective ways to avoid single-use plastic in the kitchen, since most whole foods can be purchased without any packaging. This month, I will prepare 2 whole foods-based meals at home each day.

COMPLETED 15
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 20
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 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Kitchen

Choose Unpackaged Produce

I will purchase unpackaged produce at the grocery store or at the farmer's market.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Bathroom

Pearly Whites

Nearly all toothpaste tubes are made from multiple layers of different types of plastic and aluminum, making them impossible to recycle and destined for landfill. When it's time to replace my current toothpaste, I will replace it with a plastic-free option.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Join a Cleanup Effort

I will host or participate in a beach, highway, river, or other cleanup effort in my community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bathroom

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

Community

Participate in a 2nd community cleanup.

I want to participate in more than one community cleanup during the month of July.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bedroom

Clean the Dryer Vent

Every time we tumble dry our laundry, our clothes' lifespans get a little shorter. The lint trap is evidence of the shedding fibers and our clothes slowly losing their quality. The less time our clothes need to be in the dryer, the longer they'll last. So this month, I will clean my dryer's interior and exterior air vents to help the dryer work more efficiently (and extend the life of the dryer!).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 25
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Give Some Green Gratitude

Don't forget to celebrate the good! This month, I will give shout-outs on social media, my office's internal communication channels, or the Participant Feed to a local company, coworker, friend, or family member for their sustainable efforts.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bedroom

Eco Detergent

Ditch the plastic jugs, artificial dyes, and harmful ingredients! When it's time to replace my current laundry detergent, I will switch to a natural laundry detergent that is packaged in glass or aluminum, or an alternative like soap nuts.

COMPLETED
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
    Bedroom Clean the Dryer Vent
    When was the last time you cleaned your dryer's air vents? Was it easier or more difficult than you anticipated?

    Kelly Thorvalson's avatar
    Kelly Thorvalson 7/31/2024 9:02 PM
    Stoked to try Wake Refill's laundry detergent and I want to experiment with making my own!

    • Kelly Thorvalson's avatar
      Kelly Thorvalson 7/31/2024 9:04 PM
      And to answer the reflection question, until tonight, it's probably been a year before I clean the vents so I'm glad this prompted me to get it done!

  • Kelly Thorvalson's avatar
    Kelly Thorvalson 7/31/2024 8:59 PM
    I saved large jars this month (and will continue) to donate to Stone Soup Collective and small jars for various uses around my house. Here is a pic of a donation of jars!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Kitchen Choose Unpackaged Produce
    Why do you think these produce products started amassing so much plastic packaging? Who is the plastic packaging really serving -- the consumer, the producer, or someone else?

    Kelly Thorvalson's avatar
    Kelly Thorvalson 7/31/2024 8:50 PM
    The plastics industry benefits from their product being so commonly used, especially single use plastic that makes up ~50% of plastic produced. Unfortunately the bonus is put on the consumer to use less when we have to hold the industry and businesses more accountable. In the meantime, I will continue to do what I can to reduce my plastic use and advocate for better business practices and policy that helps.

    • Krystina Jarvis's avatar
      Krystina Jarvis 8/01/2024 7:35 AM
      I always hope that at least one person looks at my naked produce on the conveyer belt and realizes they, too, don't need to bag their produce.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Kitchen Dive Into Expiration Dates
    Were you surprised by anything you learned about expiration dates in the US? Has it changed the way you make decisions around purchasing or discarding food?

    Kelly Thorvalson's avatar
    Kelly Thorvalson 7/30/2024 8:59 AM
    Although I know that the dates on food products are a bit ambiguous (and often use items after the date), I had never looked this up. Hopefully this will help my daughter who WILL NOT eat or drink a product after the date. Here is what I found:

    Best if Used By/Before
    • This date indicates when a product will be at its best quality or flavor, but it's not a safety date. It's generally safe to eat food past this date, but it might not taste as fresh.
    Sell-By
    • This date is for inventory management and tells the store how long to display the product for sale. It's not a safety date, but the food might lose flavor or look less appealing after this date. Sell-by dates are often found on highly perishable items like milk, fresh meat, eggs, and prepared foods.
    Use-By
    • This date is similar to "best by" and recommends when to consume something for the best quality and freshness. It's not a safety date, except for infant formula.
    Freeze-By
    • This date indicates when a product should be frozen to maintain its peak quality.
    Expiration date
    • This date is absolute and indicates the last day the manufacturer guarantees the product's quality and safety.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Go For a Walk
    What have you noticed about your mental and/or physical health while going on daily walks? How has it affected other areas of your life?

    Kelly Thorvalson's avatar
    Kelly Thorvalson 7/29/2024 6:24 PM
    My mind gets decluttered when I walk and I feel so much healthier. I was feeling sleepy in the afternoon so walked to the Starbucks about a mile away to get a cold brew. Asked for it to go in the paper cup rather than plastic - and no lid, of course. I very rarely go to coffee shops but it was the afternoon lift I needed, along with the walk!
  • 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?

    Kelly Thorvalson's avatar
    Kelly Thorvalson 7/24/2024 10:49 AM
    I do everything possible to not buy in plastic bags but it's unavoidable sometimes! I keep all plastic bags to use for cat litter, household trash and for storing compost in my freezer before taking to the community compost site. Every little bit counts!

  • Kelly Thorvalson's avatar
    Kelly Thorvalson 7/20/2024 7:01 PM
    Joined the SCA-Kiawah Conservancy cleanup with 15 others
    this morning. It was fun with big impact!

  • Kelly Thorvalson's avatar
    Kelly Thorvalson 7/17/2024 7:58 PM
    I'm super excited about my new cedar raised bed on my back porch! So far I have basil, parsley and thyme and I'm trying to root sage and oregano. Put some other fun plants in the bed and planted mint in a separate pot since it's knows to take over nearby plants. Have been thinking about this for a long time and this ecochallenge pushed me to make it happen. Now, can't wait for things to grow!!!!🌱🪴

  • Kelly Thorvalson's avatar
    Kelly Thorvalson 7/14/2024 12:00 PM
    Made a quick Walmart stop today. So great to see paper rather than thick plastic bags (and stoked to be part of this effort)!! 🌎💪🏽

  • Kelly Thorvalson's avatar
    Kelly Thorvalson 7/11/2024 8:20 PM
    We had a great pre-event sweep for Plastic Free July Green Drinks!!💙🌎