Madison Wong

Oakland Zoo

"Have fun and hopefully make an impact :)"

Points Total

0 Today
0 This Week
905 Total

Participant Impact

up to

1

documentaries

watched
up to

203

minutes

spent learning
up to

25

petitions

signed
up to

38

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Madison's Actions

Community

Research Local Waste Sites

I will spend 30 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.

Completed
One-Time Action

Community

Learn about Local Environmental Justice Concerns

I will spend 30 minutes learning about how plastic pollution affects members of my own community and how organizations in my community are working for change.

Completed
One-Time Action

Family

Swap the Snacks

I will swap out 2 prepackaged snacks a day for fresh fruits or veggies.

COMPLETED 23
DAILY ACTIONS

Lifestyle

Travel Smart

If traveling, I will bring my own plastic free items (water bottle, grocery bags, collapsible food containers, utensils, straws, etc.) with me.

Completed
One-Time Action

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 Action

Lifestyle

Homemade Cleaners

I will make 1 of my own cleaning products at home.

Completed
One-Time Action

Community

Sign a Petition

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

COMPLETED 25
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Plant a Garden

I will plant a herb or vegetable garden in my home, workplace, dorm room, or community garden.

Completed
One-Time Action

Community

Tour A Waste Management Facility

I will spend at least 30 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.

Completed
One-Time Action

Community

Estimate My Plastic Consumption and Go #PlasticNeutral

I will visit rePurpose website, complete the 3-minute plastic consumption calculator, and explore how I can reBalance my annual plastic footprint.

Completed
One-Time Action

Feed

Reflection Question
Lifestyle Homemade Cleaners

What did you learn by making your own cleaning products? What is the biggest difference in making vs buying?

Madison Wong 7/30/2020 9:16 PM

I never really thought about how I could make my own cleaning products, so I was surprised that a lemon tree is particularly useful. The biggest difference was being able to dump the excess cleaner down the drain because it was essentially just lemon rind oil and hot water.

Read More
Reflection Question
Community Research Local Waste Sites

In what neighborhoods or areas of your region are landfills or other waste sites located? Which communities are most affected by these locations?

Madison Wong 7/18/2020 8:18 PM

Most of the landfills in my county are between natural areas and business complexes. The community impacts seem positive, keeping HHW out of the environment, giving away compost, and using new technology to repurpose waste, but one hazardous waste and MSW facility that came up in my search was Kettleman Hills, which came under review multiple times for toxic waste spills, improper disposal of carcinogenic materials, and not releasing an impact report in Spanish despite 92.73% of the population being Hispanic or Latino

Read More
Reflection Question
Community Tour A Waste Management Facility

Landfills and recycling centers tell us a lot about our communities and purchasing habits. What did you glean from your tour?

Madison Wong 7/16/2020 3:52 PM

Even though the trucks dumped their loads into the designated recycling, compost, and trash piles, the contents were still very mixed. For example, under recycling, there were glass, paper, plastic (a lot of single use food containers), and non-recyclable items that workers and an optical sorter sent down various tracks to resort.

Read More
Reflection Question
Community Sign a Petition

What is a plastic-related issue in your state/province?

Madison Wong 7/15/2020 6:40 PM

Plastic straws, bags, and utensils are moderate issues that will hopefully reduce in use again once COVID ends, but overall, the plastic containers are the most wasteful.

Read More
Reflection Question
Family Swap the Snacks

How does swapping out prepackaged snacks for fresh fruit or veggies benefit your family?

Madison Wong 7/15/2020 6:39 PM

If we eat the produce before it goes bad and falls off the tree/plant, then we have less yard waste to clean up and fill the compost bin.

Read More
Reflection Question
Food Plant a Garden

Besides having access to fresh herbs and vegetables, what benefits will you see from growing your own garden?

Madison Wong 7/15/2020 6:35 PM

Growing the plants where there used to be a dead patch of soil keeps the neighborhood cats from using it as their litter box. Also, there's a LOT of pill bugs around the patch, and it's fun to watch them.

Read More
Reflection Question
Lifestyle Travel Smart

How can/did you prepare to be successful in this action? Did you engage in conversation with anyone about your new habit?

Madison Wong 7/15/2020 6:33 PM

It was really awkward interrupting the nice people behind the counter as they're reaching for the utensils/straws, but that normally didn't lead to a conversation on account of social distancing. I asked my mom how to clean a straw and used a metal bottle once the weather got hot enough to get dehydrated during the drive.

Read More
Reflection Question
Lifestyle Watch a Documentary

Which documentary did you choose to watch? What did you learn?

Madison Wong 7/04/2020 5:09 PM

I watched "Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story." The documentary largely follows a couple who wondered if there was enough food waste around them that they could survive on it for 6 months. I was really surprised at the scale of food waste and had never really thought about how food waste might correlate to plastic. Around 40% of what farmers grow goes to waste, mostly for aesthetic purposes, and the food that does make it to market might be packaged only to be thrown out by the dumpster if it's not off the shelf by the "sell by" date. I highly recommend watching it! It's a little over an hour long and free to watch on YouTube Movies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR1Y-ieyfjU

Read More