Ian Shelley

Maryland Zoo

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,017 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

advocacy action

completed
UP TO

48

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

2.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

1,500

pieces of litter

picked up

Ian'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).

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 10 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Skip Plastic Bags

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

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Minimize Packaging

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

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Food

Advocate for Plastic-Free Dining

I will talk to the owner or manager of a restaurant I frequent to request that they reduce their use of single-use and disposable plastics.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Sustainable Suds

I will replace my soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and lotions with a sustainable, unpackaged, or refillable option.

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 18
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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Single use plastics have become normalized in our society to the point that most people don't see them as a problem. What would you say to a friend, colleague, or family member who may not understand why these disposables are an issue?
Ian Shelley 7/30/2022 12:47 PM
I would recommend saving up single use plastic debris from a week - maybe in a separate trash bag - just to show how quickly it all adds up.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

What was your strategy in talking with your favorite restaurant's management? Did you find it to be effective?
Ian Shelley 7/30/2022 12:47 PM
Even if you can't get the manager to make changes, you can at least try to reduce plastic used for your orders - I skip plastic bags and tell the staff I won't need plastic knives and forks. I can also skip out on condiment packs, using condiments from larger bottles/jars when I take the food back home

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Personal Care

What are the economic and personal benefits of switching to bar soap/shampoo/conditioner or refillable bottle options?
Ian Shelley 7/30/2022 12:45 PM
Still trying to figure out what the economic benefits are - seems more expensive right now, probably due to their being fewer options - but hopefully if more people start buying these products, they'll become less expensive and more popular among consumers

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Ian Shelley 7/28/2022 10:00 AM
One of the best features of plastic free July is seeing the menu at the beginning of the month detailing the possible action items, giving you new ideas of ways to further reduce your plastic usage. Can't say I would have know about shampoo bars, to give just one example, without it.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How can you think outside the box (or bag!) when it comes to disposables?
Ian Shelley 7/21/2022 8:25 AM
For me, the biggest obstacle to having reusable food containers was finding a way to clean them (sustainably) shortly after using them. I realized that part of the turn-off for using them had been the thought of going how with a smelly tupperware which had been marinating in leftover food smells for the whole afternoon.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How difficult was this challenge for you? What made it easy or difficult?
Ian Shelley 7/19/2022 12:21 PM
This was one of the easiest changes to make - not only is it better for the environment, but it really cuts down on the tons of plastic bags that seem to overflow from every drawer/closet

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Do an inventory of your kitchen to see how many single-use plastics you've used in the past. What are some resuable alternatives to these commonly used products? What would your impact be if you switched all the single-use products from your inventory to reusable?
Ian Shelley 7/19/2022 12:20 PM
Definitely easier to do with produce, which you can bring reusable produce bags for. Breads can be bought be paper bags, which I assume are recyclable. Meat products pose the bigger challenge - I don't know if I ever seen them sold in anything other than plastic wrap... maybe if bought from a butcher instead of a grocery store?

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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?
Ian Shelley 7/18/2022 9:07 AM
This has been one of the biggest challenges for PFJ - there are some products which don't seem to have non pre-bagged options. For others, it means planning in advance and having reusable produce bags handy, not always the case when you decide to just pop into the store while out on a walk

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

How does the act of picking up litter connect you more to your community?
Ian Shelley 7/08/2022 9:32 AM
Picking up trash provides a cleaner, safer environment for community members to use. When community members visit areas that are already clean of litter, hopefully they will be more likely to continue keeping them clean and refrain from leaving trash behind.

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