Carolyn Shirk

L.A. Zoo - Angeleno Plastic Eliminators (APE)

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
584 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

33

advocacy actions

completed
UP TO

87

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

33

conversations

with people
UP TO

5.0

minutes

spent learning

Carolyn's actions

Lifestyle

KEEP IT UPCYCLE

Post to our Team APE feed about an item that you "upcycled" or "creatively reused" and thereby avoided consuming plastic associated with buying a new item and having that item sent to you/your area!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Minimize Packaging

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

COMPLETED 22
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

Community

Say No to Styrofoam

Throughout its life cycle, polystyrene (styrofoam) can harm people, communities, and the planet. I will refuse styrofoam whenever I can, making sure to kindly let people know why I'm asking for alternative packaging.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Family

Swap the Snacks

I will swap out 1 prepackaged snacks a day for fresh fruits or veggies.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

A Sustainable Flow

I will make the switch to sustainable, reusable period products.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Skip Plastic Bags

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

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

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?
Carolyn Shirk 7/12/2022 4:57 PM
The volume of single use plastics sold in one grocery store (frozen meals, snacks, salads, etc. ) times the many thousands of grocery stores, just in this country, is mind-boggling.
This challenge really puts into perspective the importance of doing my part to fix this growing problem.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Family

How does swapping out prepackaged snacks for fresh fruit or veggies benefit your family?
Carolyn Shirk 7/09/2022 4:57 PM
Fresh fruits and veggies are much more nutritious than quick grab processed foods but can be time consuming to prepare.

I find that I need to prepare snacks to include in my lunch for work (such as apple slices and carrot/celery sticks) the night before so I'm less tempted to grab packaged snacks .

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

What did you find out about your plastic consumption by using the calculator? What did or didn't surprise you?
Carolyn Shirk 7/05/2022 11:03 AM
I use too much plastic! My yearly total and the high percentage of plastic consumption in the USA as a whole is surprising compared to other parts of the world.

Even though I recycle, I found out recently that the majority of items I separate still end up in a landfill.

Not surprisingly, I need to find more alternatives to plastic.

Read More