Janine Ying
"Save the earth for the well being of all"
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 1,220 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO113poundsfood waste prevented
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UP TO2.0poundswaste avoided
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UP TO5.0plastic bottlesnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO203plastic containersnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO77minutesspent learning
Janine's actions
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.
Bathroom
Green Beauty
Globally, packaging manufacturers make about $25 billion each year on plastic beauty and personal care packaging. That's a whole lot of plastic - nearly all of which ends up in landfills. When it's time to buy more, I will replace my beauty products with refillable, sustainable, and/or DIY options.
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.
Kitchen
Fight Local Food Waste
Who says saving money and saving the planet don't go together? Using an app like Too Good To Go or Flashfood, I'll help rescue food from local bakeries, restaurants, and grocery stores that would otherwise go to waste.
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
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.
Bathroom
Homemade or Refillable Cleaners
Surface cleaners, glass cleaners, floor cleaners, oven cleaners, toilet cleaners...there's a whole lot of plastic waste involved in cleaning our homes - plus ingredients that can be harmful to aquatic ecosystems and our health. This month, I will make my own cleaning products or choose plastic-free, refillable options.
Bathroom
A Sustainable Flow
Pads and tampons are typically made with plastics, and about 41 million pounds of menstrual products end up in landfills every year. This month, I will make the switch to sustainable, reusable period products.
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.
Bedroom
Declutter Sustainably
While it can be tempting to throw away (or drop off at Goodwill) any and everything that no longer brings us joy, there are so many options that are better for the planet! This month, I will declutter my home and properly dispose or re-home the things I no longer want.
Family + Pets
Invest in a Pooper-Scooper
I will swap out my single use plastic bags for a pooper-scooper.
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 1 pounds of food waste to landfill each day.
Bathroom
Plastic Free TP
Most toilet paper is wrapped in plastic #4, or low-density polyethylene - a thin plastic film that cannot be recycled back into more plastic film. To avoid this plastic wrapping, I will purchase toilet paper wrapped in paper instead, or use a reusable toilet paper option.
Family + Pets
Get Rid of Glitter
I will teach my little ones about microplastics while we do a craft project together using glitter alternatives.
Family + Pets
Thoughtful Toys
I will only buy cloth, wooden or plant-based natural rubber toys. Or make our own toys from recycled items found in our home!
Kitchen
Dive Into Expiration Dates
Just because something is past its "expiration date," it might not actually be expired! I will spend 5 minutes learning about the difference between best by, use by, and sell by dates and how to tell if my food is actually expired.
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.
Bathroom
Say No to "Flushable Wipes"
Even when advertised as "flushable" these wipes don't break down in sewer systems, but instead combine with fat to create massive clogs. This month, I will find alternatives to using disposable wipes.
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 10 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.
Bedroom
Practice Sustainable Fashion
I will spend 10 minutes learning about the costs of fast fashion and begin trying to practice sustainable fashion in my own life.
Family + Pets
Balloons Blow
Although a long-standing festive tradition, balloons are harmful for animals and the environment. I will spend 5 learning about the dangers of balloons and find eco-friendly alternatives to use instead.
Family + Pets
Discover Together
I will spend 30 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!).
Bedroom
Sunshine Bleached
I will hang-dry my laundry to use the sun as a natural bleach alternative, or use another natural bleach alternative.
Participant Feed
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Janine Ying 7/12/2024 12:16 PMGreat! Left all the plastic bags at the store today and used my own reusable bags