

Merrick Wright
Points Total
- 0 Today
- 0 This Week
- 1,444 Total
Participant Impact
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up to2.0plastic bottlesnot sent to the landfill
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up to1.0plastic containersnot sent to the landfill
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up to74pieces of litterpicked up
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up to8.0petitionssigned
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up to28public officials or leaderscontacted
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up to53minutesspent learning
Merrick's Actions
Community
Write Letters or Emails
I will write 1 letter(s) or email(s) per day to a public official or company to advocate for plastic reduction policies that are better for both the planet and people.
Community
Sign a Petition
I will sign a petition in support of a plastic reduction-related initiative in my state/province.
Community
Share My Actions
I will make my environmental actions visible by posting to my social media networks.
Community
Keep My Community Clean
I will pick up 1 piece(s) of litter each day.
Community
Prevent Recycling Contamination
Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 5 minutes researching which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community and recycle only those items.
Food
Switch to Loose Leaf Tea
Because many tea bags and most sleeves and sachets contain plastic, I will switch to using loose leaf tea.
Food
Use Reusable Water Bottles
I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.
Personal Care
Lather Up
I will replace my soaps, shampoos, and conditioners with either a bar or refillable option.
Feed
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Reflection QuestionFood Use Reusable Water BottlesUsing the links provided, investigate the bottling practices of water corporations. There have been many cases where the water rights of the local people have been violated or even completely disregarded when a corporation decides to bottle water from a particular water source. How can you advocate for those who have been harmed by this bottling process?
Merrick Wright 7/30/2021 5:08 PMThough did not see the links, would have to find out about where this is happening (some documentaries on the topic have brought up various cases), and then figure out what is needed to correct the problem, such as what the laws/regulations allow and do not allow. And, who knows, maybe one of our communities will be next. -
Merrick Wright 7/29/2021 5:29 PMAs part of the "WRITE LETTERS OR EMAILS" action, I realized that I didn't know any of the proposed legislation to reduce plastic and similar waste in New York state, so, instead of the typical request of the elected official to support certain legislation for some stated reasons, I (embarrassingly, since I didn't know of any such legislation), decided to write my State Assemblymember and State Senator "Request to know if there is any New York legislation under consideration that further reduces the harmful effects of fossil fuel-based plastic use and waste beyond that which has already been passed in previous years." with the hope that a staff member could educate me (understanding that may be a bit backwards). Well, it worked. Got a great response from one staffer so far providing excellent information about legislation under consideration! -
Merrick Wright 7/27/2021 5:53 PMWhat are the types of questions that you ask others that may not agree with your views on environmental concerns so as to better understand their logic for disagreeing with environmental protection legislation and regulations?-
Liz Zavodsky (EcoChallenge Staff) 8/02/2021 3:19 PMI focus on shared values we may have or ask them about the tings they enjoy and appreciate about the environment.
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Reflection QuestionFood Switch to Loose Leaf TeaTake time to reflect or meditate over your plastic-free cup of tea. Share your thoughts and reflections with us here!
Merrick Wright 7/27/2021 5:48 PMThough the tea purchased is loose and not in individual tea bags, unfortunately that loose tea was put in a plastic bag to containerize it for purchase, as the local stores are still not allowing customer-brought reusable bulk food bags given COVID concerns. Hopefully that will change soon, as I have several different reusable bags that were previously used for purchasing produce and other bulk goods before COVID. -
Reflection QuestionCommunity Sign a PetitionWhat is a plastic-related issue in your state/province?
Merrick Wright 7/24/2021 7:55 PMThe plastic-related issues in New York state are likely the same as is most or all places: too many single-use plastics that may be a challenge to avoid (especially with COVID concerns reducing options to use brought bags/containers for produce, bulk foods, etc., in grocery stores, restaurants, etc.), too much plastic pollution (such as tossed out of car windows or left on beaches or in parks, etc.), plastic recycling available but concern that not all is actually being recycled and not just still getting diverted to landfill (such as due to not being the "right" type of plastic, or not cleaned enough, etc.), costs of non-fossil fuel-based plastic alternatives being out of reach for many small businesses, medical waste containing a significant amount of plastic waste given understandable concerns for sterile equipment leading to inertia against non-fossil fuel based alternatives, and so many more concerns. -
Merrick Wright 7/24/2021 7:42 PMThank you JENNIFER TOBIN for the “The Gleaners & I” documentary recommendation, which I will look for.-
Jennifer Tobin 7/25/2021 8:45 AMYou're very welcome - enjoy!
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Reflection QuestionCommunity Keep My Community CleanHow does the act of picking up litter connect you more to your community?
Merrick Wright 7/23/2021 5:58 PMFor the last few years, only a couple times per year, I would pick up one full bag of trash on the main roads just outside of our cul-de-sac. Occasionally a jogger or dog walker or stroller would give a thumbs up or a “thank you”, even a driver would stop to make an encouraging comment a couple of times. That is the good news. The less-good news is how much waste still ends up on those suburban roads, year after year. Soda and alcohol bottles and cans, plastic bags, fast food bags of food wrappers, and too many cigarette butts to count, make up most of the waste that is thrown out by people driving by, likely in most cases by people that either live in the same town or close by. -
Reflection QuestionPersonal Care Lather UpWhat are the economic and personal benefits of switching to bar soap/shampoo/conditioner or refillable bottle options?
Merrick Wright 7/23/2021 5:44 PMBar shampoo is actually quicker to use (however slightly) and potentially leads to less product waste. Why? Even the time it takes to uncap/pour/cap is longer than using the bar. And though we used to make sure every bit of shampoo was rinsed/used from the bottle to minimize waste, maybe some would only use the shampoo that pours from the bottle such that once no more pours the bottle may be thrown out/recycled. Even the process of pouring the shampoo from the bottle may lead to less consistency of amount poured than the amount used from a bar shampoo. These may seem like trivial amounts of time and product saved, but, like the drips of gasoline from each pump during a single fill-up add up to a significant amount of waste and pollution when considered on a global scale, these shampoo savings also could add up to a relevant amount. -
Reflection QuestionCommunity Prevent Recycling ContaminationWhat have you learned about what is accepted by local haulers for recycling, what you can drop off or ship to certain places, and what is not recyclable in your area? What is the most difficult part of recycling for you?
Merrick Wright 7/23/2021 5:31 PMMost of the curbside plastic pickup in our mixed recycling one bin system has to look like a bottle or a jug but not much variation beyond that, therefore many types of plastic packaging, regardless of recycling symbol and number, cannot be recycled curbside, per https://www.monroecounty.gov/des-residentialrecycling. But, fortunately, the county does have an ecoPark (https://www.monroecounty.gov/ecopark/) which allows a greater range of recycled materials, including polystyrene, though is about a 35 minute commute. Yet, given my work creates a lot of plastic waste that they allow me to recycle, the ecoPark option is worthwhile. -
Reflection QuestionCommunity Share My ActionsIn what ways is social media an effective tool for sharing your values?
Merrick Wright 7/22/2021 6:20 PMIn what ways is social media an effective tool for sharing your values?Social media is potentially an effective tool for sharing values in that it allows publishing your thoughts to a potentially large group instead of just to one or a few people in a small gathering. But is that group, chosen by you, one that already shares your values, so a bit of an echo chamber? Or is the group or social media chosen one that would rather just deal in only "fun" topics, such as discussing social events, trips, amusing stories, birthday wishes, and the like, such that anything potentially controversial, like environmental activism or politics, would be ignored or blocked or even resented? This could make being effective a challenge, so, like in any group setting, we need to know our audience.