Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums

Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2022

July 1 - July 31, 2022

Emily Katzin

Cleveland Clinic Sustainability

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,694 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

45

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

66

pieces of litter

picked up
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted

Emily's actions

Lifestyle

Clean Plate Club

When I need to replace my dish soap, I will switch to a bar or refillable option.

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

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

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

Pets

All Natural Pet Toys

I will give my pets natural alternatives to toys like femur bones and antlers, canvas, natural rubber, hemp, rope or cotton toys. Or make our own toys from recycled items found in our home!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Thrifty Threads

If I need to purchase clothing, I will purchase second-hand clothing.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Pets

Invest in a Pooper-Scooper

I will swap out my single use plastic bags for a pooper-scooper.

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

Minimize Packaging

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

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Green Tips and Gratitude

I will make a post on a social platform or the Ecochallenge feed each day to share a green tip, something new I've learned, or to express gratitude for green places and people.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Lifestyle

Natural Fibers

When I need to replace rugs in my home, I will purchase plastic-free options (jute, cotton, or wool)

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Raise Money For a Nonprofit

I will raise money to support a nonprofit dedicated to plastic pollution reduction.

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Buy Only What I Need

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

COMPLETED 27
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Keep My Community Clean

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

COMPLETED 4
DAILY 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.

COMPLETED
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 Give Some Green Gratitude

In what ways is social media an effective tool for sharing your values?

Emily Katzin 7/28/2022 12:29 PM

It was nice to share photos of litter pickups I had done and see interest from other people I'm connected with in doing pickups of their own, or to invite me to other cleanup events. Social media can be a great tool for organizing and promoting events.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Personal Care That Was a Close Shave

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?

Emily Katzin 7/27/2022 8:26 AM

I actually switched to a rechargeable electric razor and am interested in the environmental tradeoffs of different razor types. A benefit of the electric is that only the razor tops need to be changed out and I get several months of use out of each. I also don't need to use any water or shaving cream, which saves energy, materials, water, and packaging waste. The battery lasts quite a long time on a charge, so I don't need to charge very often. BUT: I am using energy to charge the razor, and the battery/electronic components I'm sure make up a significant portion of its environmental impact.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle Practice Sustainable Fashion

How can you express your personality, creativity, and values in ways that don't require fast fashion or buying more clothes and accessories?

Emily Katzin 7/25/2022 7:55 AM

Modifying existing clothes can be fun, as well as trying new combinations of clothing. Knowing how to sew/use a sewing machine can be really helpful for hemming clothing or changing the way they fit (adding inserts or accents, taking in areas so they fit better). I make my own earrings and instead of getting new posts to attach beads/dangling accents to, I'm going to take apart the pairs I don't wear as often and add different accents to them to change things up without buying more.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle Travel Eating

Was this action easy or difficult to do? How did it change your travel experience?

Emily Katzin 7/25/2022 7:50 AM

Due to dietary restrictions, my husband and I often stay in Airbnb's with full kitchens. We'll bring our own snacks, grains (oats, quinoa, rice), tea, and other items we like to have. We also have a collapsible cooler we can easily pack in our suitcases. We then typically go to a grocery store our first day and stock up on fresh foods for meals. We'll use reusable containers at the Airbnb if they have them, or we'll get a couple of containers at the store to use during our vacation and take home or leave for the next person staying at the house. We'll pack our own lunches each day to eat while we're out hiking. It works out great for us.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle Complete a Waste Audit

What did you learn about the waste you create? Where can you reduce the most?

Emily Katzin 7/20/2022 12:40 PM

We eat very little packaged food, so most of our waste is food scraps (peels, rinds, pits, etc.). We have plenty of space in the backyard, so I am going to look into purchasing a bin to collect our scraps and potentially a box or wire to contain a compost pile—we'll see if we need one.

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Emily Katzin 7/18/2022 9:41 AM

For a custom action, I committed to buying plastic-free textiles for our house. My husband and I moved into a new house last October, and we've slowly been adding new furnishings and replacing items that are due for replacement. We needed rugs for multiple rooms, so we bought a handmade jute rug for under our kitchen table, a handmade wool rug near the door that goes out to our deck, and a handmade cotton rug for our front door from a site that supports artisans around the world. The main environmental downside of buying the items from abroad is the carbon footprint to transport them, but we like supporting the artists and the communities they live in. We have been very happy with the quality and expect they will last a long time, and are happy the rugs won't be shedding plastic microfibers as they age. We are also looking into buying cotton or linen curtains in a room where we need to replace broken blinds.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Pets All Natural Pet Toys

In what ways is supplying your pet with all natural pet toys better for your pet, better for you, and better for the environment?

Emily Katzin 7/18/2022 9:25 AM

We used to buy toys for our cat, but she tends to enjoy upcycled items best! One of her favorite toys is a ribbon that came in a package we received in the mail, and another is a toy that we inherited from my in-laws after their kitty passed away. After leaving some wrapping paper on the floor one day after opening a gift, we found that our cat likes to hide under the paper and jump out at her toys. We now save paper from items we receive in the mail for her to hide under, until she punches it too full of holes, and then we recycle it :)

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Pets Invest in a Pooper-Scooper

How are caring for your pet and caring for the environment connected for you?

Emily Katzin 7/18/2022 7:28 AM

We were looking into buying a robot litter box that would self clean and dump the litter into a bag, reducing the need to use a bag each time we clean the litter. Unfortunately, it looks like the automatic boxes can have malfunctions and don't always have a large compartment for reducing bag waste, so we may wait until technology improves. We have one cat and don't have to clean the box as often, but try to look for ways to reduce our impact. We also buy food that has the same humane certifications as the meat/dairy/eggs we buy for ourselves to support farmers and businesses that treat their animals more humanely.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle Buy Only What I Need

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?

Emily Katzin 7/18/2022 7:19 AM

I unsubscribed from all retail emails, which reduces the impulse to shop sales. I have also been buying used clothing where possible. I've found that I don't miss buying items and find way more value investing time in having meaningful experiences or just being out in nature.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Estimate My Plastic Consumption

What did you find out about your plastic consumption by using the calculator? What did or didn't surprise you?

Emily Katzin 7/12/2022 12:19 PM

I use about 44% less plastic than the average American and almost 12% less than the average European, but still many orders of magnitude higher than an individual in India. My biggest areas of use were food and groceries, home, and lifestyle/shopping. We tend to get supplements and bulk orders of nuts and other foods via Amazon and have tried to move as many items as possible to the monthly subscription, but certainly aren't only seasonal shoppers. I was happy with how many items I have managed to move away from begin plastic, which really helped in the personal care category. I still have a ways to go though!

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