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Emily Bauernfeind's avatar

Emily Bauernfeind

Zoo New England

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 720 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    23
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    50
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    87
    pieces of litter
    picked up

Emily's actions

Food

Skip Plastic Bags

When possible, I will not use disposable bags when shopping, including produce bags.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Minimize Packaging

I will purchase food items with the least amount of packaging.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Better Gum

I will give up gum or choose gum made from chicle or other plastic-free gum bases.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Advocate for Plastic-Free Dining

I will talk to the owner or manager of a restaurant I frequent to request that they reduce their use of single-use and disposable plastics.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Use Reusables at Work

I will use reusable dishes and silverware when eating at work.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 10 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Family

Learn about Environmental Justice

Using the action resource links below, my family will spend 20 minutes learning about environmental justice, causes of environmental injustice, and how plastic waste disproportionately impacts already vulnerable communities.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Give Some Green Gratitude

I will give a shout-out on social media to a local company, coworker, friend or family member for their plastic free or green efforts.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Eco Deodorant

I will switch to a plastic-free deodorant — whether purchased or DIY'd.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Sustainable Suds

I will replace my soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and lotions with a sustainable, unpackaged, or refillable option.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will spend 30 minutes learning about the costs of fast fashion and begin trying to practice sustainable fashion in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Complete a Waste Audit

I will conduct a waste audit - including recyclables and compost - to understand how much waste I create and where I can reduce the most.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.

To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    Why do you chew gum? What habits could replace and meet your reasons for chewing gum?

    Emily Bauernfeind's avatar
    Emily Bauernfeind 7/19/2022 6:58 AM
    I'm realizing that I don't actually chew much gum in my day-to-day life. It's really a treat when I'm traveling. But this challenge definitely opened my eyes to the harms of gum that I'd been completely ignorant of! For that, this challenge was a positive.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    How difficult was this challenge for you? What made it easy or difficult?

    Emily Bauernfeind's avatar
    Emily Bauernfeind 7/09/2022 2:35 PM
    It’s now routine for grocery clerks to ask if you need bags, thankfully, and I make it easy to say no I don’t by carrying reusable bags that collapse into a little pouch in my purse and pannier. 

  • Emily Bauernfeind's avatar
    Emily Bauernfeind 7/08/2022 10:30 AM
    Sharing a cool company I found: ClimbOn sells lotion and chapstick in compostable cardboard tubes. Pretty durable container and the balm is nice and lucious!

  • Emily Bauernfeind's avatar
    Emily Bauernfeind 7/07/2022 10:29 AM
    Hey Team Zoo New England, send me any pictures you have of Plastic Free July-ing! I'd love to share some on ZNE's social this month to generate enthusiasm for the ecochallenge. Anything goes—a shot of your reusable coffee mug or cloth produce bags, selfie watching a documentary, your litter haul, a clever plastic-free enrichment you created for a zoo resident, whatever!

    So that I'm walking the walk, here's me picking up trash on the beach last weekend. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Family
    What did you and your family learn about environmental justice? What questions came up for you? What feelings?

    Emily Bauernfeind's avatar
    Emily Bauernfeind 7/06/2022 12:59 PM
    I was aware of many of the injustices related to environmental justice, yet I still feel powerless to make meaningful change in my day-to-day life. But I remain committed to electing leaders who discuss this issue within the context of climate change and environmental protection.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community
    How does the act of picking up litter connect you more to your community?

    Emily Bauernfeind's avatar
    Emily Bauernfeind 7/05/2022 12:41 PM
    Even a beach without any people on it has signs of people washing ashore…
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    With the added mindfulness of reducing your packaging, what have you noticed about the amount and type of single use plastics used for packaging when you shop in the grocery store?

    Emily Bauernfeind's avatar
    Emily Bauernfeind 7/05/2022 7:07 AM
    Processed foods are those with the most packaging. By conscientiously buying foods with less plastic and more "whole" foods like fruits and veggies (using your own reusable produce bags), you'll also be eating healthier! 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    It is often true that we only have control over our own actions and not the collective community. How can you lead by example when it comes to switching disposables for reusable dishes in your community?

    Emily Bauernfeind's avatar
    Emily Bauernfeind 7/05/2022 7:04 AM
    Consider donating reusable flatware to your communal kitchen.