Lanie Menk
7/31/2022 9:48 PM
Lobbying legislators and companies would be a good way to start—maybe start small with emails and see where that goes.
July 1 - July 31, 2022
Lanie Menk
"Year 1 of PFJ for me! If all roads lead to Rome, then all watersheds lead to the ocean--let's reduce our global impact one sustainable step at a time! "
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 1,196 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO53plastic containersnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO7.0minutesspent learning
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UP TO28disposable cupsnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO118plastic bottlesnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO25pieces of litterpicked up
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UP TO79pieces of plastic cutlerynot sent to the landfill
Lanie's actions
Food
Use Reusables at Work
I will use reusable dishes and silverware when eating at work.
Food
Use Reusable Utensils
I will keep 3 plastic cutlery out of the landfill per day by using my own reusable cutlery.
Food
Skip Plastic Bags
When possible, I will not use disposable bags when shopping, including produce bags.
Food
Use a Reusable Mug
If possible, I will avoid sending 3 disposable cup(s) to the landfill per day by using a reusable mug or bringing my own travel cup.
Food
Fill a Water Bottle
I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.
Personal Care
Sustainable Suds
I will replace my soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and lotions with a sustainable, unpackaged, or refillable option.
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).
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.
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.
Personal Care
Practice Sustainable Fashion
I will spend 40 minutes learning about the costs of fast fashion and begin trying to practice sustainable fashion in my own life.
Community
Research Local Waste Sites
I will spend 30 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.
Food
Minimize Packaging
I will purchase food items with the least amount of packaging.
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.
Lifestyle
Practice Sustainable Fashion
I will spend 20 minutes learning about the costs of fast fashion and begin trying to practice sustainable fashion in my own life.
Community
Become a Recycling Pro
Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 5 minutes researching which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community and recycle only those items.
Food
Cook a Plastic Free Meal
I will prepare meals at home each day without using any items packaged in single-use plastic.
Community
Keep My Community Clean
I will pick up 4 piece(s) of litter each day.
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?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONFoodUsing the links provided, investigate the bottling practices of water corporations. There have been many cases where the water rights of the local people have been violated or even completely disregarded when a corporation decides to bottle water from a particular water source. How can you advocate for those who have been harmed by this bottling process?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONFoodWith 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?
Lanie Menk 7/31/2022 1:38 PMActively looking for products with less packaging was a great eye-opener to just how much single-use plastics packaging exists in our stores currently. If you can't make farmers markets, it's crazy difficult sometimes to even find sufficient amounts of products such as spinach and etc. without that single-use packaging. This is one of the areas I still need to work on for sure :)
I saw someone post on a previous day about how even fresh fruits and veggies might still be plastic-wrapped during transport ??? That's super deceiving as well. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFoodHow difficult was this challenge for you? What made it easy or difficult?
Lanie Menk 7/31/2022 1:32 PMThis was a great habit to start during this challenge--I'm now more conscious of keeping reusable bags handy in my backpack (or car) to use when shopping, and trying to keep them in more obvious locations so I can remember to grab enough/extras for big shopping trips. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFoodIt is often true that we only have control over our own actions and not the collective community. How can you lead by example when it comes to switching disposables for reusable dishes in your community?
Lanie Menk 7/31/2022 1:31 PMBest example of this was on the airplane where just being a little more conscious of your materials reduction, or asking the occasional question of servers/refusing a straw can start up great conversations. One can also donate/supply extra kitchen utensils for cutting snacks in the breakroom for the day or etc. as well. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONLifestyleWhat 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?
Lanie Menk 7/31/2022 1:26 PMI'd say the benefits are the ability to be more compact and reducing that plastic impact. Honestly I find most of these containers rather flimsy and breakable (fractures after so much time) so I'd prefer to not use travel containers and just find 'bar' formats of toiletries instead. Not sure how I feel about those toothpaste pellets either, has anyone tried these or other products? Most of them still come packaged in plastics (sigh) anyways so I'm not sure how sustainable they are in any case. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONLifestyleWas this action easy or difficult to do? How did it change your travel experience?
Lanie Menk 7/31/2022 1:22 PM**belatedly types this reflection
I feel like travel eating is pretty straightforward now--it's more or less like packing a lunch, and with the availability of collapsible travel containers it's definitely a lot easier to pack food and collapse it when you're done than it used to be. You just have to be conscious of liquids so sadly no smoothies or protein shakes etc. :(
TSA does give you a strange look when you take vanilla protein powders through security though XD Plan to have your foods examined. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONCommunityWhat have you learned about what is accepted by local haulers for recycling, what you can drop off or ship to certain places, and what is not recyclable in your area? What is the most difficult part of recycling for you?
Lanie Menk 7/29/2022 10:07 PMI learned that recycling programs vary widely by location. My home city, for instance, recycled #1,2,5 with lids on, whereas my current location wants lids separated and only #1,2. Also learned that my city loans out extra recycling and compost containers for events (free!), which is pretty cool for planning parties and events when you want to focus on low waste or waste-free. I’m pretty good at cleaning out my own containers, but learning the specifics of each program in different locations I go can be difficult. -
Lanie Menk 7/20/2022 2:30 PMRefusing a plastic cup & packaged snacks on a plane ride actually started up a great conversation with my two neighbors about reducing our plastic impact. They were both coming back from a work conference and reflected that the organizers did a decent job of using reusable dinnerware and napkins, but they needed to work more on reducing plastic water cups and etc. We even chatted about how compostable cups could be a decent alternative, and they mentioned giving that feedback to the organizers for future years. Cool to see how one small action can influence the people around you~~-
Maria Watson 7/21/2022 4:30 PMABSOLUTELY!! That is awesome Melanie! This happened to me last year when I just asked for the canned soda & made sure I was going to be able to recycle it! The ladies next to me were also super curious and it is such a cool feeling to know that you have made some kind of impact even within what seems like a small action! -
Amy Daley 7/21/2022 7:15 AMWe will be traveling by plane in a few days and I am packing our own snacks and filling our water bottles in the airport, so no plastic cups or packaged airplane snacks for us, too!
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REFLECTION QUESTIONFoodSince 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?
Lanie Menk 7/20/2022 2:11 PMLuckily for me I’m a fan of tea and it’s much easier to find sustainably packaged tea and compostable tea bags (these also usually come in cardboard boxes as opposed to plastic containers) I also love to make my own tea at home and drink it straight without sweeteners (avoiding more packaging) so honestly I don’t run into issues of bringing mugs to stores super often 😂 It does present an extra barrier to success when your primary form of transportation is a bike as well—harder to bring mugs (breakable and heavy in packs) and worried about spills when riding places (thermoses don’t have great seals). But then, the plastic cups most shops offer don’t do much for this either, so it’s actually more convenient to bring my own containers—just have to start reminding myself. :) Usually I just wind up skipping the beverage overall and making it at home.-
Lanie Menk 7/21/2022 9:33 PMOoh that’s a really good point too!! I bet a lot of the syrups and etc at coffee shops (or the like) come in some form of plastic container… -
Maria Watson 7/21/2022 4:32 PMThis is great & also sometimes better for you in the long run anyway because you cannot be too sure what is in every drink these days too or how much plastic goes in to making that drink as well.
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REFLECTION QUESTIONCommunityHow does the act of picking up litter connect you more to your community?
Lanie Menk 7/10/2022 6:03 AMToday we picked up litter as a group to help out oceans and our turtles. It was really cool to see everyone contributing to clean up our beaches. We even discovered a soccer ball buried in the sand and had a fun time passing that around as well ;)-
Amy Daley 7/10/2022 7:03 AMIt always feels rewarding to pick up litter on the beach and sounds like making it fun with the soccer ball was a bonus! Thank you for cleaning up our beach!
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