Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums

Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2022

July 1 - July 31, 2022

Iceify Li

National Aquarium

"To be honest, picking up trash is fun when you listen to music... and not fun when it is 90 degrees but whatever."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,225 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

community event

hosted or attended
UP TO

153

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

10

conversations

with people
UP TO

80

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

160

pieces of litter

picked up
UP TO

98

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill

Iceify's actions

Lifestyle

Support a Sharing Economy

I will create or support a sharing economy with family, friends, and neighbors.

COMPLETED 21
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 28
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

That Was a Close Shave

I will replace my disposable razors with steel razors.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Eco Deodorant

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Skip Plastic Bags

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

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Go Strawless

I will keep 4 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill per day by refusing straws or using my own reusable straw.

COMPLETED 24
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 23
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Host a Watch Party

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Homemade Cleaners

I will make my own cleaning products at home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Cook a Plastic Free Meal

I will prepare meals at home each day without using any items packaged in single-use plastic.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Food

Fill a Water Bottle

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 2 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

Pets

Homemade Pet Treats

I will prepare my own pet treats to avoid plastic packaging.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Minimize Packaging

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

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 15 piece(s) of litter each day.

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?

Iceify Li 11/04/2022 10:34 AM
It was fun! Hope all is going well!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Besides having access to fresh herbs and vegetables, what benefits will you see from growing your own garden?
Iceify Li 7/24/2022 6:14 PM
It is really fun to learn about what conditions your garden needs in order to grow at its maximum potential.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How can you think outside the box (or bag!) when it comes to disposables?
Iceify Li 7/17/2022 3:40 PM
Organic disposables, such as grass clipping and vegetable or fruit peels, can be used for excellent compost, which can then be used to grow a garden. That garden could produce vegetables and fruit, which would repeat the cycle over again. Plastic water bottles can be used to raise a couple of tadpoles and can also be used to make bird feeders. I know all of these from experience :) I used compost made from organic scraps and the crops grew fast and full. The harvest was very good. I have raised many tadpoles from using water bottles and seen many birds eat from my DIY bird feeder.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

How does the act of picking up litter connect you more to your community?
Iceify Li 7/14/2022 7:49 PM
When people pass by me, they either pity me or respect me. I notice that a lot of people would like to help too, but are afraid of being judged. I’m thinking about organizing a trash pickup day in my neighborhood.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle

What did you learn by making your own cleaning products? What is the biggest difference in making vs buying?
Iceify Li 7/12/2022 6:10 PM
Making (Growing for me as a vegetable that I grow can be used to wash dishes) cleaning products were much more cooler and felt much more cleaner. However, the sponges that we buy are still a bit more efficient. The vegetable is called Chinese squash.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Pets

How could you reduce your waste even further (i.e. by making pet treats out of kitchen scraps or about-to-go-bad produce)?
Iceify Li 7/09/2022 7:47 PM
I usually give leftover meat to my cat, as she loves anything that is chicken or beef. She won’t eat much fish however… which is unusual for a cat.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Take time to reflect or meditate over your plastic-free cup of tea. Share your thoughts and reflections with us here!
Iceify Li 7/07/2022 12:26 PM
I have drinking cups of chrysanthemum tea everyday when I wake up. It is very relaxing and to be honest, the flowers taste pretty good too :)

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

With the added mindfulness of reducing your packaging, what have you noticed about the amount and type of single use plastics used for packaging when you shop in the grocery store?
Iceify Li 7/07/2022 12:24 PM
Usually when I shop in the grocery store (Giant), I buy small items such as candy or occasionally bakery goods. The packages of candy I buy are usually small because I don't want to overeat on candy. However, today I decided to just buy a larger amount to lower the amount of plastic that is being used. I just need to not overeat now...

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Iceify Li 7/06/2022 5:33 PM
I mowed the lawn today, and used all the grass clippings as compost. I also drank at least 3-4 cups of water from a reusable mug :D

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Iceify Li 7/05/2022 6:20 PM
I chose to join this challenge to see just how much plastic I could save. Some of the actions that I did were actions that I always thought of doing, but never really wanted to actually do them until now, such as planting my own garden.

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