Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums

Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2022

July 1 - July 31, 2022

Melissa Dude

The Florida Aquarium Team

"Dedicated to ocean conservation and environmental education. Lead by example - others are watching."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
755 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

community event

hosted or attended
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted
UP TO

120

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

8.0

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

49

pieces of plastic cutlery

not sent to the landfill

Melissa's actions

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Use Reusables at Work

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

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Skip Plastic Bags

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

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

See the Green

I will recycle used contact lenses and packaging.

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

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

Food

Use Reusable Utensils

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

COMPLETED 21
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 25
DAILY ACTIONS

Lifestyle

Buy Only What I Need

I will not buy anything except items required for health and safety.

COMPLETED 23
DAILY ACTIONS

Lifestyle

Travel Toiletries

If traveling, I will reuse my old travel tubes to refill with my soaps or only bring bar soaps with me in a TSA-approved reusable quart-sized bag.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Share My Actions

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family

Swap the Snacks

I will swap out 2 prepackaged snacks a day for fresh fruits or veggies.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Watch a Plastic themed documentary.

Watch film "Smog of the Sea" to learn more about the impact of plastic in our oceans. Be inspired by the unique crew and see that anyone can make a difference.

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

Pearly Whites

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Host a Watch Party

I will host a watch party with friends and/or colleagues to watch and discuss a movie about plastics.

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
Community

How does working with others to clean up your community make you feel?
Melissa Dude 7/19/2022 1:31 PM
Just have to try your best. There will always be trash, unfortunately, to pick up. Until there is a shift in culture - less disposable options, there will not be a shift in some peoples lifestyle.
It's sad that I can drive by a site we just cleaned and see trash back the very next day.
I hope the good we do does help the wildlife - they don't have a choice - humans do.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle

As you have reduced your spending, what have you noticed about your 'health and safety' purchasing habits? How might this change your longer term purchasing decisions?
Melissa Dude 7/12/2022 9:13 AM
It's definitely hard not to be tempted by impulse buys, but lately, especially when shopping online I put the items in the cart then wait a day to buy them - this usually makes me consider what is a want and what is a need.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How can you think outside the box (or bag!) when it comes to disposables?
Melissa Dude 7/12/2022 9:12 AM
Bring our own lunches in lunch boxes as well as all food we prep is packaged in reusable containers. We even have reusable chip bags that we place crackers or snack in.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Family

How does swapping out prepackaged snacks for fresh fruit or veggies benefit your family?
Melissa Dude 7/12/2022 9:11 AM
Fresh fruits and veggies are sweet naturally. They help us stay healthy by reducing the amount of added sugar we consume all while helping the environment!

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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?
Melissa Dude 7/12/2022 9:10 AM
Leading by example is the best choice for me. I try to model bringing my own utensils to kids club meetings as well as outings and get togethers with friends.

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- Charmaine Shannon 7/12/2022 1:01 PM
  I do the same and then take the time to Explain and Share Ideas every chance I get. If asked to bring something I always choose Reusable or Biodegradable to show by Example and then Clean Up for Recycle and Compost.I carry these in my car trunk to home and have earned the Title "BAG LADY" .... LOL !!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle

What is the benefit of using bar soaps or refilling your travel sized containers? Is this an action you think you will keep in your life?
Melissa Dude 7/12/2022 9:07 AM
I try to buy the largest container of bath products possible so refiling my travel size containers is a no brainer - I definitely don't have room in my travel bags for the larger quantity.
This is also something I am teaching my kids so they are learning at an early age to be eco-conscious.

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- Charmaine Shannon 7/12/2022 1:07 PM
  Living on a Fixed Income tends to Help with this as I always Refill everything to save the money. Love the idea of getting the children involved as they too can use their savings on other things while learning essential eco habits.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Personal Care

Take a moment to estimate how many disposable daily contacts you may have used over the years. What would be your impact now of switching to a contact brand with a longer lifespan?
Melissa Dude 7/08/2022 11:23 AM
So I was really hesitant when my optometrist recommended daily lenses. I did not want to dispose of the cases on a daily basis. I was so happy to hear that they have a tetra contact lenses recycling box at their office so now I just collect the cases and drop them off when I'm in the area and they get recycled!

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Melissa Dude 7/08/2022 11:20 AM
Diving into week 2 of the challenge! Made a fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil salad with fresh basil from our hydroponic kitchen garden, looking forward to a great weekend.

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Melissa Dude 7/07/2022 7:27 AM
I started the week living in a hotel so it was hard to be selective when eating out but we did find a great place that used compostable cutlery, we tried our best to eat there when possible. It also happened to be one of the only places that served organic and healthy food options so that was a plus! Once we got home we have been prepping all our meals - breakfasts, lunches and dinner to help reduce our plastic imprint.

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