Coalition of North American Zoos and Aquariums

Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2022

July 1 - July 31, 2022

Jacqui McGrath

American College of Healthcare Sciences

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,530 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

community event

hosted or attended
UP TO

39

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

43

conversations

with people
UP TO

35

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

2.0

donations

made
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

136

pieces of litter

picked up

Jacqui's actions

Community

Attend an ACHS Webinar

Learn about how plastics are affecting our environment!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 30
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Personal Care

Pearly Whites

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Raise Money For a Nonprofit

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Donate Zero Waste Period Products

I will donate 1 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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Dig into Bioplastics

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching the impacts of bioplastics and how to properly dispose of them in my city, and I will share this information with 5 friends, family, and/or colleagues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Green Beauty

When it's time to buy more, I will replace my beauty products with refillable, sustainable, and/or DIY options.

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

Community

Keep My Community Clean

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

COMPLETED 29
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

Family

Discover Together

I will spend 10 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.

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

Share My Actions

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

COMPLETED
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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Homemade Cleaners

I will make my own cleaning products at home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Say no to TetraPak

I'm breaking free of this lesser of evils plastic this month, hoping to keep it going beyond Plastic Free July. I know there are more sustainable (and healthy) options for these products and this connects to my ultimate goal of zero waste.

COMPLETED 29
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Cook a Plastic Free Meal

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

COMPLETED 30
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?

Jacqui McGrath 7/27/2022 4:52 AM
Here's a link to the 2020 "Plastic Free: Healthy Body, Healthy Planet" presentation I did: https://publications.achs.edu/plastic-free-healthy-body-healthy-earth/introduction/

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- Jacqui McGrath 7/27/2022 4:54 AM
  p.s. Team ACHS - we're getting close to 10,000 points. woot woot! Help us finish strong, share on the feed!!
  
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- Jacqui McGrath 7/27/2022 4:52 AM
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Jacqui McGrath 7/27/2022 4:45 AM
I used to re-use plastic water bottles, but the research I did for my talk for Plastic Free July in 2020 inspired me to invest in a few metal ones to avoid the leeching of phthalates, etc. I can't imagine leaving home without my stainless steel water bottles now. I've made it a challenge, even on vacation, to avoid buying water in single use plastic. In some cases, in Mexico, I've been known to offer cafe employees a tip to refill my bottle -- and usually that works!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Lifestyle

What did you learn by making your own cleaning products? What is the biggest difference in making vs buying?
Jacqui McGrath 7/19/2022 8:26 AM
Making a general cleanser for surfaces has been on my "to do" list for a while. For me, the biggest difference in making my own vs buying one is that I get to re-use a container with my homemade product. It'll smell wonderful and save money, too!

I'm excited to finally try the following cleansing spray formula shared by ACHS Professor Amanda Lattin in her webinar "Aromatherapy to Cleanse Your Home and Hands":

Cleansing Spray or Wipes

2/3 cup Isopropyl alcohol 90% (rubbing alcohol)

1/3 cup boiled, cold water (or hydrosol) 1/3 cup white vinegar (can be infused)

60 drops (2ml) essential oil or essential oil blend
(0.7% dilution)
If only using on surfaces, you can increase dilution

For Surface Spray: Spray Bottle

Spray solution on desired surface. Leave on for 10 to 30 seconds. Wipe off with a clean cloth or paper towel.

For Wipes: Glass or Plastic Container with a lid
Soak paper towels with solution in the container. Keep sealed and away from heat.

Check out the link for more recipes and the webinar recording!
https://publications.achs.edu/aromatherapy-to-cleanse-your-homes-and-hands/recipes/

And a bonus blog with more recipes!!
https://achs.edu/blog/2020/04/01/diy-sanitizers-and-wipes/
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

How does hosting a watch party help you to get to know your guests, connect them to the cause you are focusing on, and build your community?
Jacqui McGrath 7/17/2022 9:15 AM
Watch parties are a great way to unite as a community to become educated and motivated to make positive changes. Though it's not directly plastic related, the film "Need to Grow" is one that I've recently invited my students to watch with me as a sort of virtual/syncopated watch party. I was inspired by a student who shares my passion for regenerative agriculture who found and shared this link that allows everyone to access the film for free for four days: https://grow.foodrevolution.org/

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Personal Care

How can having access to zero waste period products help people who menstruate overcome barriers to education or other opportunities?
Jacqui McGrath 7/17/2022 9:08 AM
In places like Nepal, millions of menstruating women are prohibited from participating in everyday activities (such as school!). To help overcome the stigma and taboo, groups like the Empowerment Collective provide hygiene kits that include reusable sanitary pads to women. I'm grateful to be able to support their efforts. I would love to see ALL menstruating people receive education and access sustainable/reusable options such as menstrual cups and cloth pads.

https://empowermentcollective.org/product/hygiene-kits/ -- this site mentions the Chaupadi tradition in Nepal

https://femmeinternational.org/donate/

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

What did you find out about your plastic consumption by using the calculator? What did or didn't surprise you?
Jacqui McGrath 7/15/2022 7:53 AM
https://repurpose.global/apps/calculate-plastic-footprint/ ... I learned that I have a bigger footprint than most people in the world, even though it's much lower than typical Americans and Europeans. Two areas where I'd like to improve are shopping (locally instead of online) and snacks for my son's lunch. He's attached to individually wrapped cereal bars but/and I think we can come up with a more sustainable treat for the coming school year.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

What did you learn about micro-plastics that surprised you?
Jacqui McGrath 7/14/2022 9:07 AM
I learned that plastic companies use pellets called nurdles to make most all products. There are tons of this type of "pre-production" plastic being spilled into the ocean and washing up on beaches. They also absorb toxins before being eaten by marine life, which then creates a public health issue for seafood eaters.

https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/25/nurdles-are-everywhere-how-plastic-pellets-ravaged-a-sri-lankan-paradise

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Personal Care

How can you advocate for the importance of reducing packaging to the rest of your friends, family and larger community?
Jacqui McGrath 7/13/2022 4:55 AM
Over the last few years I've seen the Airbnb listings in my little town go from around 100 to several thousand. I've been advocating for providing recycling for guests with my fellow vacation rental hosts for years. Just this week I found someone who's started a business of selling eco friendly soaps, shampoos, etc in bulk. I'm excited to switch to her products for my guests and promote her business with other Airbnb hosts.

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- Michele Wittig 7/17/2022 8:47 AM
  I'm so happy to hear this, Jacqui! It's disappointing when we travel to find that recycling isn't available. Short of packing bottles and cans and flying them back home with us, there's nothing we can do but simply try to use less during our vacation.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Family

What did you and your family learn about environmental justice? What questions came up for you? What feelings?
Jacqui McGrath 7/11/2022 4:11 AM
The brunt of the plastic pollution consequences falls on the world's poor. GAIA ( https://www.no-burn.org/ ) and the film the Story of Plastic burned this truth into my heart and mind & there's no going back into the plastic matrix for me. Corporations can and WILL (eventually) use alternatives to single use plastics for their packaging. Meanwhile, every time I use a single use plastic I feel a heaviness, a shared responsibility in the mess that's piling up on Pacific islands and clogging the air in poor neighborhoods near incinerators. On the bright side, we can and do make a difference with our daily actions. As consumers, we can say no to plastic as our part of the of the shift. We can hold a clear vision of healthy, plastic free ecosystems on Earth.

This song by Beautiful Chorus, Peace Day, gave me hope this morning. As I contemplate how to orient to the current plastic situation, I am grateful to be part of a proactive, holistically minded community. There's so much hope in action in the hearts and minds of ACHS students. Together we are making a leap toward a more healthy and just world.

'It can happen, the more we imagine.
Feel the deepest part of your heart
and what it's saying.
We are all connected by the stream.
A desire, a pull, toward peace.

The world is as we make it,
and NOW's the time to take this leap.
The world is as we make it,
it's time to celebrate our Peace.'

credits
released 21 September 2012
Beautiful Chorus with Peloton Corsica on production
https://www.reverbnation.com/beautifulchorus/song/17945581-it-can-happenpeace-day

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Jacqui McGrath 7/09/2022 10:07 AM
This report was really an eye opener for me, especially seeing this info on microplastics our water supply (including "bottled water") - Assessing Plastic Ingestion from Nature to People: An analysis for WWF

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Cleansing Spray or Wipes