Nothing surprised me. Bio plastic is definitely interesting though
Leigh Wear
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 730 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO4.0poundsfood waste prevented
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UP TO56plastic containersnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO1.0community eventhosted or attended
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UP TO200conversationswith people
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UP TO1.0documentarywatched
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UP TO1,500minutesspent learning
Leigh's actions
Bathroom
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.
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 2 pounds of food waste to landfill each day.
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.
Community
Advocate For Better Food Packaging
I will advocate for alternatives to single use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, or work.
Community
Research Local Waste Sites
I will spend 60 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.
Community
Learn about Environmental Justice
Using the action resource links below, my family will spend 60 minutes learning about environmental justice, causes of environmental injustice, and how plastic waste disproportionately impacts already vulnerable communities.
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.
Kitchen
Give Veggie Scraps Another Life
Vegetable broth cartons are not easily recycled and often not accepted for recycling at all. To avoid or reduce my use of these cartons, I will save my vegetable scraps and fresh herb stems to make homemade vegetable broth instead.
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.
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.
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.
Study
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!
Kitchen
Get Scrappy
Get creative in the kitchen (or the garden)! Before tossing food scraps, I'll explore other ways to utilize the scraps and give them another life.
Community
Advocate for Office Reusables
I will lobby my workplace to have reusable dishes and silverware in order to minimize disposables.
Community
Tour A Waste Management Facility
I will spend at least 60 minute(s) touring (virtually or in person) a local dump/transfer station, material recovery facility, and/or landfill to learn about our local waste and waste recovery streams.
Community
Host a Watch Party
I will host a watch party with friends and/or colleagues to watch and discuss a movie about plastics.
Study
Share my "why"
I will record a 15-20 second video sharing why I am taking action for the planet.
Study
Dig into Bioplastics
I will spend at least 60 minutes researching the impacts of bioplastics and how to properly dispose of them in my city, and I will share this information with 5 friends, family, and/or colleagues.
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.
Bedroom
Proper Clothing Care
All those symbols on our clothes, sheets, and towels actually have meanings! To ensure that I'm caring for my clothes properly, I will spend 60 minutes learning what the care symbols mean and laundry best practices to make all of my textiles last as long as possible.
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.
Bedroom
Ditch Dryer Sheets
Plastic sheets coated in softeners, lubricants, and fragrances, dryer sheets just aren't great for the planet or our bodies. Instead, I will use wool dryer balls or another plastic-free alternative to dryer sheets to keep my clothes static-free.
Bedroom
Practice Sustainable Fashion
I will spend 60 minutes learning about the costs of fast fashion and begin trying to practice sustainable fashion in my own life.
Bedroom
Sunshine Bleached
I will hang-dry my laundry to use the sun as a natural bleach alternative, or use another natural bleach alternative.
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!).
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?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONStudy Dig into BioplasticsWhat did you learn about bioplastic production and disposal? Did anything surprise you? Are bioplastics accepted by your city's waste management?