Holly Parks
"Don’t use plastic: keep it out of landfills, the ocean and trash floating on roadways!"
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 1,048 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO195plastic containersnot sent to the landfill
Holly's 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).
Lifestyle
Ditch Dryer Sheets
I will use wool dryer balls or another plastic-free alternative to dryer sheets to keep my clothes static-free.
Lifestyle
Natural Fibers
When available, I will purchase clothing made with natural fibers, such as cotton, linen, or wool, rather than synthetic fibers.
Personal Care
Say No to "Flushable Wipes"
Wipes don't break down in sewer systems, but combine with fat to create massive clogs. I will find alternatives to using disposable wipes.
Food
Skip Plastic Bags
When possible, I will not use disposable bags when shopping, including produce bags.
Lifestyle
Clean Plate Club
When I need to replace my dish soap, I will switch to a bar or refillable option.
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.
Community
Attend Plastic Use in Research and Healthcare (July 20, 12 - 1pm)
Join WashU Sustainability Staff July 20th from 12pm – 1pm to learn more about how single-use plastics are used in research and healthcare and how you can begin to reduce plastic use in your lab or practice.
Food
Cook a Plastic Free Meal
I will prepare meals at home each day without using any items packaged in single-use plastic.
Food
Minimize Packaging
I will purchase food items with the least amount of packaging.
Food
GO A DAY WITHOUT EATING MEAT
Reducing meat consumption has many benefits; it curtails greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and soil degradation. It will also save an enormous amount of land, water use and will increase biodiversity.
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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Holly Parks 7/29/2022 6:31 AMIt is helpful to have the daily reinforcement of my goals to reduce plastic use. I hope that I can continue to meet those goals after the eco challenge ends. -
Holly Parks 7/22/2022 7:06 AMThe more I read about plastic included in everything I use, the harder it is to find replacements. And of course the replacements are much more expensive: smashers, Bee Wrap. Keeping a balance isn’t easy.-
Alexandra Byrne 7/22/2022 12:59 PMYou can always make your own beeswax wraps! A local reuse shop also periodically has classes on making them! https://perennialstl.org/event/beeswax-food-wraps-2/
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Holly Parks 7/18/2022 6:01 AMIt is hard not to go on a buying frenzy with all of the sites selling items to avoid plastic. Unfortunately some of them aren’t good solutions as they simply use another form: things made of silicon like Stasher or microfiber cloths. -
Holly Parks 7/11/2022 5:38 AMIt is hard to find solutions for not using plastic in the kitchen. I cant find cellulose sponges that don’t break up after a few uses. Using plastic brushes can send strands of plastic into the waterways when bristles break off. I am back to using cloth dishcloths but they don’t work well for stuck on food. Any suggestions? -
Holly Parks 7/07/2022 6:01 AMWho thinks of gardening as a major source of plastics?
It is estimated that in 2018 approximately 320 million potted annuals and perennials were sold in the United States. Each of these would’ve been in a plastic pot, and that doesn’t count the trees and shrubs or all other plastic gardening paraphernalia. It also doesn’t count the amount of old pots still in circulation or the pots sold empty of plants. Now imagine that only 5 percent of this number are recycled and that each plastic pot will take approximately 500 years to break down. It’s then fairly easy to see where this deluge of plastic will be most keenly felt: nature and the environment.
It is astonishing when you stop and think of the plastic products used in the garden: pots, seedling trays, watering cans, soil bags, fertilizer bottles, cloches, plant labels, sprinkler heads, tool handles, wheelbarrows, fleeces, tarps, tree ties, propagators, weed-blocking fabric, vegetable tunnel hoops, rainwater barrels, compost bins, pond liners, window boxes, plant supports, power-tool casings, edging, trugs and buckets, kneelers, furniture, even fake lawns. Does growing plants really need all this? I don’t think so; we need to be smarter and more economical in our choices of products but also develop a fundamental change in mindset.
Ways to Cut Back on Plastic Use in the Garden
Hortmag.com -
Holly Parks 7/05/2022 6:02 PMEverywhere I turn there is emphasis on reducing plastic use - not just single use plastic but also recyclable plastic. I read an article on recycling in general and it was pretty discouraging . It seems the little triangles mean only that an item can be recycled but it needs to be clean and dry to avoid contaminating the whole load. Also local recycling may not accept it. And recycled plastic is downgraded when a buyer does try to reuse it. Even plastic bristles on brushes; e.g., toothbrushes, dish brushes, scrub brushes break off and end up in the water system where they are ground up and basically poison sea life. ☹️
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Holly Parks 7/01/2022 5:16 PMI think this is harder this time round as I have used up the easier goals in previous plastic eco challenges. But I guess that is a good thing overall as I have managed to develop some good habits, like no plastic water bottles and buying canned beverages instead of ones in plastic.