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Matthew Bronson's avatar

Matthew Bronson

Maryland Zoo

"Every little bit helps"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,595 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    advocacy action
    completed
  • UP TO
    5.0
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    140
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    37
    pieces of litter
    picked up
  • UP TO
    13
    pieces of plastic cutlery
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    90
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    60
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    8.0
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    1.0
    waste audit
    conducted

Matthew's 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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Advocate For Better Food Packaging

I will advocate for alternatives to single use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, or work.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will spend 15 minutes learning about the costs of fast fashion and begin trying to practice sustainable fashion in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Educate retail employees on plastic bag use

Retail employees are the final line of defence in plastic bag use. A simple question of asking if someone needs a bag can help customers really think of they do. And definitely don't ask if someone needs a bag for something that is already made with a handle!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Proper Bioplastic Disposal

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 1 friends, family, and/or colleagues.

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family

Discover Together

I will spend 20 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Join a Cleanup Effort

I will host or participate in a beach, highway, river, or other cleanup effort in my community that follows the CDC’s current guidelines for prevention of disease transfer.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Learn about Plastic Production

Plastic production, not just disposal, pollutes communities and harms people. I will learn about the impacts of plastic production on humans, animals, communities, and the environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Estimate My Plastic Consumption

I will visit the rePurpose website, complete the 3-minute plastic consumption calculator, and explore how I can reBalance my annual plastic footprint.

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

Community

Dig into Bioplastics

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching the impacts of bioplastics and how to properly dispose of them in my city, and I will share this information with 2 friends, family, and/or colleagues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Research Local Waste Sites

I will spend 30 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Plant a Garden

I will plant a herb or vegetable garden using as little plastic as possible and to save from the plastic used buying herbs and veggies.

COMPLETED
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 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Use Reusables at Work

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

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Fill a Water Bottle

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

COMPLETED 28
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Minimize Packaging

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

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Choose Reusable Food Storage

I will only use reusable containers instead of single-use plastic storage items (such as plastic wrap, single-use sandwich bags).

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 4 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Go Strawless

I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill per day by refusing straws or using my own reusable straw.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Skip Plastic Bags

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

COMPLETED 16
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?


  • Matthew Bronson's avatar
    Matthew Bronson 7/31/2022 6:34 PM
    Another great plastic free July! Congrats to all of the participants on a job well done!

  • Matthew Bronson's avatar
    Matthew Bronson 7/30/2022 8:17 PM
    Great to see how much our teammates are doing to help reduce their plastic use. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Join a Cleanup Effort
    How does working with others to clean up your community make you feel?

    Matthew Bronson's avatar
    Matthew Bronson 7/30/2022 8:14 PM
    It always feels great to clean up the community as it's great for the environment and for showing off our community. 

  • Matthew Bronson's avatar
    Matthew Bronson 7/29/2022 7:32 PM
    It was great to see the food truck I bought from today using paper containers rather than styrofoam.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Use Reusables at Work
    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?

    Matthew Bronson's avatar
    Matthew Bronson 7/29/2022 7:30 PM
    It's important to stress the importance to the environment while also showing how it's actually nicer to eat from reusable dishes too.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Advocate For Better Food Packaging
    Single use plastics have become normalized in our society to the point that most people don't see them as a problem. What would you say to a friend, colleague, or family member who may not understand why these disposables are an issue?

    Matthew Bronson's avatar
    Matthew Bronson 7/28/2022 8:44 PM
    Common sense is a good start. Nature gives us packaging most of the time. Someone should never need a bag fort something like bananas!

  • Matthew Bronson's avatar
    Matthew Bronson 7/26/2022 9:59 PM
    Keep up the good work team Maryland Zoo!

  • Matthew Bronson's avatar
    Matthew Bronson 7/25/2022 3:18 PM
    I highly recommend Contigo Autoseal water bottles. I can credit our reduction in plastic water bottle use to them. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Go Strawless
    Have you noticed a shift in your community as more messaging about reusable straws becomes mainstream? Cite some examples.

    Matthew Bronson's avatar
    Matthew Bronson 7/25/2022 3:16 PM
    I haven't seen much improvement over the last year. Hope to see more. 

  • Matthew Bronson's avatar
    Matthew Bronson 7/24/2022 6:31 PM
    Let's keep up the good work team Maryland Zoo! One more week to go!