Virginia Zoo Staff & Volunteers

Wanted to say how much fun I've had, how much I've learned, and how much my habits have changed this month... A LOT! I am now much more conscious about litter and picking it up, never forgetting a reusable bag, and making sure to educate myself more on issues surrounding plastic. It's been incredible to see the impact everyone in the...

Another "Create Your Own Challenge" I'll share real quick is to use detergents/soaps that come in boxes rather than plastic bottles, that are (preferably) environmentally friendly. Somewhat unrelated, but I'd always recommend to wash full loads of clothes/dishes to avoid wasting water (and money on that bill).

I thought I'd share two "Create Your Own Challenge's" I made. One is re-placing plastic cutting boards with wooden (or glass) ones, and the other is buying kitchen knives without plastic handles (made fully of metal). Obviously, you should only do these things if products you have  currently are ready to be replaced. But, if you are...

Less plastic going into the world! A plastic toothbush is one more piece of trash going to the landfill (or being littered!!!). Plus plastic isn't recyclable forever, and most plastic toothbrushes aren't recycled/recyclable at all. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on earth (it can grow 35+ inches a day), so it isn't going to run out...

Amazing! It's great working with others towards a goal that you know makes a difference for everyone in your community! Cleaning up trash makes the natural areas around us so much nicer, and leads to less problems in the future.

It connects me to my community because here in the Hampton Roads area, we're all part of one big watershed (Chesapeake bay/Atlantic ocean). So, I know that by picking up a piece of trash now, it's not ending up where someone else will find it. And, it protects animals from getting tangled in or eating trash!