NCMNS-Ecochallenge

Thanks Nancy for leading us in the Plastic Free Ecochallenge! I love the opportunity to learn more each challenge and work to incorporate more actions into my daily routine.

This month has been inspiring! I am so proud of the immense impact we were all able to make with daily changes to our lifestyles. This Ecochallenge has shown how small, eco-friendly acts can lead to widespread benefits for the environment. I have learned so much from this experience and hope that one day, through continued collective efforts,...

I find that many of the single-use food products are more likely to be unhealthier options (snack bags of chips, cookies). I think it would be a health benefit to make my own snacks and store them in reusable containers.

I was already aware of the way the plastic numbers work and which can and can't be recycled in my area. I didn't remember that #1 was the most common type by a long shot. It's not really surprising. I will continue to try to buy fewer items in plastic, or if I can't get away from plastic, at least choose those in the types that are recyclable...

I learned that if everyone lived like me, we would need 1.6 Earths! I knew it wouldn't be less than one Earth, but I'm glad it was less than 2 Earths. I don't remember what it was last time I calculated it.

I have found this one to be particularly challenging for me because I can't use mint toothpaste and it's really hard to find non-mint options. This is particularly true for the "natural" options. I'm trying to advocate for more options by reaching out to the companies to see if they are working on other flavor alternatives, so I can...

It is satisfying to make something at a fraction of the cost of the purchased item. I particularly like that I can customize it to my own liking, such as not having any perfumes or other scents that often give me migraines.

When I learn about great reusable alternatives to single-use products, I often buy extras as gifts for friends and family as a way to show them what's available. I'm particularly a fan of the line of "Last" products, such as the "Last Swab", which is a reusable version of a cotton swab.

As someone who is very sensitive to many scents, I dislike the unnecessarily scented items, such as scented drier sheets and air "purifying" sprays that just add more volatile chemicals to the environment.

Of course, the largest benefit of using natural fibers is not adding to the problem of microplastics ending up in the environment and inside smaller animals that might accidentally eat them thinking they are food.