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Mary Ann Kingsley's avatar

Mary Ann Kingsley

Maryland Zoo

"We're all in this together."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,063 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    25
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    31
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    31
    disposable cups
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    5.0
    pieces of litter
    picked up
  • UP TO
    14
    pieces of plastic cutlery
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    42
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill

Mary Ann's actions

Personal Care

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Pets

Rubber Glove Pet Hair Removal

I will use a rubber glove to remove pet hair from clothes, carpets and furniture.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

Pearly Whites

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Donate Zero Waste Period Products

I will donate 3 zero waste period kits to young people with periods so that they can reduce their waste and the financial burden of menstruation while continuing their education.

UNCOMPLETED
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

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 3 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Personal Care

Brush with Bamboo

I will replace my plastic toothbrush with a bamboo toothbrush.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Use Reusable Utensils

I will keep 1 plastic cutlery out of the landfill per day by using my own reusable cutlery.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Switch to Loose Leaf Tea

Because many tea bags and most sleeves and sachets contain plastic, I will switch to using loose leaf tea.

COMPLETED 5
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

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 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Use a Reusable Mug

If possible, I will avoid sending 1 disposable cup(s) to the landfill per day by using a reusable mug or bringing my own travel cup.

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Use Reusables at Work

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

COMPLETED 10
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?


  • Mary Ann Kingsley's avatar
    Mary Ann Kingsley 7/29/2022 8:14 AM
    It has been a great journey my friends!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Personal Care
    Currently most of the packaging for toothpaste is plastic. How can you advocate for more alternatives through your purchasing power and influence in community?

    Mary Ann Kingsley's avatar
    Mary Ann Kingsley 7/29/2022 8:14 AM
    I can request this from my local co-op.  As a member, I have more buying power than at other retail stores.  Also many other members would be interested in this as the co-op already stocks many plastic free and reusable items.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community
    How does working with others to clean up your community make you feel?

    Mary Ann Kingsley's avatar
    Mary Ann Kingsley 7/28/2022 8:13 AM
    Cleaning up with others always makes it an opportunity to get to know people and have fun.  It becomes a social occasion.

  • Mary Ann Kingsley's avatar
    Mary Ann Kingsley 7/27/2022 10:23 AM
    Only four more days to post, but a lifetime to go!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Personal Care
    How can having access to zero waste period products help people who menstruate overcome barriers to education or other opportunities?

    Mary Ann Kingsley's avatar
    Mary Ann Kingsley 7/27/2022 10:21 AM
    I believe in this effort, however, when searching for ngo's to support, I wasn't super confident in the organizations.  One link to a donor page is broken and the other is for activities in Nepal, rather than Uganda, and I wasn't comfortable with that NGO.

    This practice of banning girls from education during this period should have ended long ago but persists everywhere.  I think girls in the US even have barriers to learning, sometimes internal barriers and sometimes from the outside.  
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Pets
    We know you want to - tell us about why your pet is so awesome!

    Mary Ann Kingsley's avatar
    Mary Ann Kingsley 7/26/2022 8:41 AM
    I get to say why my cats are so awesome?!  They are the best cats in the world, that's why!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Personal Care
    How can you express your personality, creativity, and values in ways that don't require fast fashion or buying more clothes and accessories?

    Mary Ann Kingsley's avatar
    Mary Ann Kingsley 7/26/2022 8:39 AM
    Best and easiest solution: “What we need to do is to care for our clothes. We need to make them last longer,” she says. “Even extending the life of our garments by an extra nine months of active use would reduce the carbon, water and waste footprint by around 20% to 30% each.”
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    Take time to reflect or meditate over your plastic-free cup of tea. Share your thoughts and reflections with us here!

    Mary Ann Kingsley's avatar
    Mary Ann Kingsley 7/25/2022 6:49 AM
    Honestly, when I think about the environmental state we're in, it's hard to be optimistic and easy to be overwhelmed.  It's nice to be able to share that with you and know that you understand. Plastic free July keeps me motivated!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    Since the restrictions that COVID-19 has required of our society, trying to use your own cup might present new barriers, as well as new opportunities for creative problem solving. How were you able to achieve success on this action? How can you make it a long-term habit?

    Mary Ann Kingsley's avatar
    Mary Ann Kingsley 7/22/2022 7:46 AM
    My solution is that I rarely buy coffee to go.  I'm either there, enjoying it, or taking my own selection of travel mugs.  I like to use ceramic or porcelain travel mugs instead of metal because they can be reheated in a microwave.  However my husband is a firm believer that the double walled metal mugs hold the heat the longest.  To each his own, there are many options out there.  Another tip: I always program my coffee at night to run before I get up in the morning.  This is worth the trouble.
  • 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?

    Mary Ann Kingsley's avatar
    Mary Ann Kingsley 7/21/2022 10:53 AM
    We just keep persisting!  It's hard to change habits and we all sometimes drop the ball.  The secret is to just keep picking it up again.