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Lauren Belcher's avatar

Lauren Belcher

Adventure Aquarium

"hoping to add some more plastic-free habits to my life! "

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 327 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    9.0
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    11
    pieces of plastic cutlery
    not sent to the landfill

Lauren's actions

Personal Care

Sustainable Suds

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family

Discover Together

I will spend 60 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Advocate for Office Reusables

I will lobby my workplace to have reusable dishes and silverware in order to minimize disposables.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Use Reusables at Work

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

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Family

Plastic Free Lunch Boxes

I will only pack reusable cutlery, drinkware and tupperware-like containers in my children's lunches to reduce plastic waste.

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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Write Letters, Emails or Sign Petitions

I will write or sign 1 letters, emails or petitions per day to advocate for plastic-free or planet-friendly policies.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Keep My Community Clean

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Share My Actions

I will make my environmental actions visible by posting to my social media networks.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Homemade Cleaners

I will make my own cleaning products at home.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Travel Eating

If traveling, I will bring my own snacks and meals in my own containers to avoid the waste of take-out containers.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

That Was a Close Shave

I will replace my disposable razors with steel razors.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will spend 60 minutes learning about the costs of fast fashion and begin trying to practice sustainable fashion in my own life.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Use Reusable Utensils

I will keep 2 plastic cutlery out of the landfill per day by using my own reusable cutlery.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

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
    Personal Care
    What have you noticed about the economic and social impact of switching to steel razors? Was there ever really a need for disposable razors, or do you think it was just a way to sell more things?

    Lauren Belcher's avatar
    Lauren Belcher 7/29/2022 12:01 PM
    I have yet to switch to a steel razor because I am still using up my plastic razor heads but I'm sure it the steel razor will last a lot longer. Besides the expensive upfront cost, the steel razor is going to be much cheaper. I do see that deterring people from purchasing a steel razor first though!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Lifestyle
    What did you learn by making your own cleaning products? What is the biggest difference in making vs buying?

    Lauren Belcher's avatar
    Lauren Belcher 7/29/2022 12:00 PM
    I've been learning a lot about how I can basically clean everything with some sort of vinegar mixture! Biggest hinderance was finding/waiting for an old spray bottle to run out to use. It's so easy now to have all the products at home already that I need to make a cleaner!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Lifestyle
    Was this action easy or difficult to do? How did it change your travel experience?

    Lauren Belcher's avatar
    Lauren Belcher 7/29/2022 11:58 AM
    I have a bento box that I packed and brought all my own snacks on the last plane ride I was on! It was pretty easy once I had the bento box and it was actually really fun- felt like a kid with a lunchable! 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    How can you be an advocate for using reusables instead of disposables for the rest of your community? Where are they currently dependent on disposable food packaging or eating utensils, and how can you convince them of the need for change?

    Lauren Belcher's avatar
    Lauren Belcher 7/29/2022 11:54 AM
    I am being an advocate by talking to everyone on the Marketing Team about bringing in their own cutlery from home to use at work to reduce the amount of plastic forks we use!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Family
    Most of us know that the "3 R's" are reduce, reuse, recycle. Recycling is most heavily emphasized in modern Western culture. How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle? How does considering implementing these "R's" make you feel?

    Lauren Belcher's avatar
    Lauren Belcher 7/29/2022 9:00 AM
    Repair! I've been really trying to repair things that break instead of buying something new, even if it's cheap! Also - living with things that are broken but still usable (like our chipped dishes). 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community
    How does the act of picking up litter connect you more to your community?

    Lauren Belcher's avatar
    Lauren Belcher 7/29/2022 8:59 AM
    This is actually interesting to think about because when I used to pick up litter in my neighborhood, neighbors would stop and ask me why I was picking up trash which I thought was interesting. At least it starts a conversation!

  • Lauren Belcher's avatar
    Lauren Belcher 7/29/2022 8:55 AM
    Thinking I am going to try to start picking up the trash on my block once a week. I did that when I first moved to the city and got overwhelmed but I think having a goal of once a week for a certain amount of time would be do-able!
  • 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?

    Lauren Belcher's avatar
    Lauren Belcher 7/22/2022 11:19 AM
    I got out of practice of bringing my own silverware into work so am glad for this challenge to restart that habit. I think just talking with a co-worker about the benefits of bringing our own silverware or making it a challenge that we both hold each other accountable is a way to help reach a broader audience!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Personal Care
    What are the economic and personal benefits of switching to bar soap/shampoo/conditioner or refillable bottle options?

    Lauren Belcher's avatar
    Lauren Belcher 7/22/2022 11:17 AM
    We switched over to soap bars over body wash and I think in the long run it is cheaper! I also like have less bottles in my shower. Once we run out of shampoo we are going to Ray's Reusables in Philly to look at shampoo!

  • Lauren Belcher's avatar
    Lauren Belcher 6/30/2022 12:50 PM
    ready to crush this eco-challenge with ya'll!