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Hanna Whalen's avatar

Hanna Whalen

The Maryland Zoo

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,025 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    390
    pieces of litter
    picked up
  • UP TO
    4.0
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    1.0
    community event
    hosted or attended
  • UP TO
    20
    minutes
    spent learning

Hanna's actions

Bedroom

Recycling Textiles

Every single textile ever made will, at some point, become worn out - and dealing with that waste costs millions of tax dollars every year. I will spend 20 minutes learning about the different types of textile recycling and creating a plan for what I'll do with my clothes and other textiles when they are too worn out to use anymore.

COMPLETED
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

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

Bedroom

Mend and Repair

We've all got it - that thing in the back of our closet we keep saying we'll fix "one day." I will make today that day by learning how to mend or repair ripped or broken items in my home - or by finding a local offering to do it for me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bedroom

Rethink Returns

While most stores offer lenient return policies, what actually happens to all of those returns? I will spend 10 minutes learning about what happens to returns and how I can make better purchasing decisions to avoid returns in the future.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Study

Learn about Plastic Production

Plastic production, not just disposal, pollutes communities and harms people. I will learn about the impacts of plastic production on humans, animals, communities, and the environment.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Bathroom

Sustainable Suds

In the UK, the average person creates 512kg (1,129lbs) of waste in the bathroom over the course of their lifetime - 50% of which ends up in a landfill. As they run out, I will replace my soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and lotions with sustainable, unpackaged, or refillable options.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Keep My Community Clean

In addition to refusing and reducing my consumption of single-use plastics, I will pick up 10 piece(s) of litter each day of the Plastic Free Ecochallenge.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Community

Support a Sharing Economy

While society often tells us we need to own everything ourselves, how necessary is that, really? Why spend money on something I'll only use once or a few times when I can borrow, swap, or share instead? This month, instead of buying new, I will create or support a sharing economy with family, friends, and neighbors.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Study

Recycle My Tech

There's value in our old electronics! This month, I will properly recycle any old laptops, tablets, cell phones, or other electronics I have lying around so the raw materials can be reused and reduce demand for virgin materials - thereby also protecting critical wildlife habitat for animals such as gorillas and forest elephants.

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
    Community Join a Cleanup Effort
    What was the most unexpected piece of trash that was picked up during your local cleanup effort?

    Hanna Whalen's avatar
    Hanna Whalen 7/30/2024 2:07 PM
    The most common trash I pick up is plastic bottles and caps and thin candy/granola bar wrapper pieces. But I have found squishy toys covered in dirt, stickers, rubber ducks and the odd vape.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Support a Sharing Economy
    What are the benefits of a sharing economy? How could a sharing economy change the dynamics you have with friends, family and/or neighbors?

    Hanna Whalen's avatar
    Hanna Whalen 7/25/2024 3:50 PM
    I borrowed a drill from my coworker to fix my couch. Didn't have to buy anything and my ikea couch lives on. Giving and accepting help is so important and we all have to do both without shame or judgement when we can. That is how you build lasting connections.

  • Hanna Whalen's avatar
    Hanna Whalen 7/25/2024 3:39 PM
    Finally fixed a belt with some embroidery thread I got from Bmore SCRAP. It's an all second hand craft store in Pigtown. Great way to unload unneeded supplies and buy a few things I need super cheap.

  • Hanna Whalen's avatar
    Hanna Whalen 7/25/2024 3:37 PM
    It has encouraged me to get a few things done I've been meaning to do like actually put product in the travel toiletry bottles I bought and mend some things. Also picked up more garbage than I usually would. It's a good way to go just a little bit further. For the points!

  • Hanna Whalen's avatar
    Hanna Whalen 7/21/2024 5:23 PM
    My church had a litter clean up and I joined in. Really enjoyed doing my usual trash pick up with a big group.

  • Hanna Whalen's avatar
    Hanna Whalen 7/19/2024 3:41 PM
    I always pick up trash went I cut browse in the woods, but today I filled a whole garbage bag.

  • Hanna Whalen's avatar
    Hanna Whalen 7/12/2024 7:01 PM
    Ordered some bags from retold recycling and they finally arrived so I've been filling them with lone socks and stained towels. Almost ready to send back.

  • Hanna Whalen's avatar
    Hanna Whalen 7/09/2024 2:54 PM
    Generally I'm pretty good about these things and I have an environmental degree so I know how important the impacts are locally and globally. But there is always room to learn and do a little better.