Skip to main content
Rachel Sides's avatar

Rachel Sides

Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden

"To decrease my impact of plastic on the environment."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 851 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    26
    advocacy actions
    completed
  • UP TO
    127
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    26
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    2.0
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    22
    pieces of plastic cutlery
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    17
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill

Rachel's actions

Pets

Invest in a Pooper-Scooper

I will swap out my single use plastic bags for a pooper-scooper.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Skip Plastic Bags

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

COMPLETED 22
DAILY 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 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Plant a Garden

I will plant a herb or vegetable garden using as little plastic as possible and to save from the plastic used buying herbs and veggies.

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

No procreation

I will not create a child that would add to the over population of this planet and the use and creation of more plastic products.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Family

Plastic Free Lunch Boxes

I will only pack reusable cutlery, drinkware and tupperware-like containers in my children's lunches to reduce plastic waste.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Team Accountability

I would hold my teammates accountable for talking and thinking about plastic free July!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Use Reusables at Work

I will use reusable dishes and silverware when eating at work.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Food

Go Strawless

I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill per day by refusing straws or using my own reusable straw.

COMPLETED 15
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 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Farmers Market

I will use a reusable bag at the farmers market

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Minimize Packaging

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

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will spend 5 minutes learning about the costs of fast fashion and begin trying to practice sustainable fashion in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

A Sustainable Flow

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

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

Lifestyle

Homemade Cleaners

I will make my own cleaning products at home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Clean house with old clothing

I will reuse old clothes to clean my house instead of purchasing rags/dusters.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Natural Fibers

When available, I will purchase clothing made with natural fibers, such as cotton, linen, or wool, rather than synthetic fibers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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
    Lifestyle
    What are the benefits (to people, animals, and the environment) of purchasing clothes made with natural fibers?

    Rachel Sides's avatar
    Rachel Sides 7/22/2022 6:39 AM
    Fabrication of clothing is terrible for the environment and water sheds.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Lifestyle
    What did you learn by making your own cleaning products? What is the biggest difference in making vs buying?

    Rachel Sides's avatar
    Rachel Sides 7/22/2022 6:37 AM
    you can make in bulk and save money!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Lifestyle
    Was this action easy or difficult to do? How did it change your travel experience?

    Rachel Sides's avatar
    Rachel Sides 7/22/2022 6:37 AM
    I was able to choose healthier options. Convenience is nice, but so is maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Personal Care
    How can you advocate for the importance of reducing packaging to the rest of your friends, family and larger community?

    Rachel Sides's avatar
    Rachel Sides 7/14/2022 9:01 AM
    By reducing use in general you are reducing waste and plastic trash.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Personal Care
    How can you express your personality, creativity, and values in ways that don't require fast fashion or buying more clothes and accessories?

    Rachel Sides's avatar
    Rachel Sides 7/13/2022 5:55 AM
    Tattoos can express personality and creativity!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Personal Care
    Disposable tampons and menstrual pads are often quite expensive. What are the economic and personal benefits of this switch for you?

    Rachel Sides's avatar
    Rachel Sides 7/13/2022 5:55 AM
    Menstrual cups are reusable options.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    Have you noticed a shift in your community as more messaging about reusable straws becomes mainstream? Cite some examples.

    Rachel Sides's avatar
    Rachel Sides 7/12/2022 9:04 AM
    Many places are selling cups with metal straws or thicker reusable plastic straws that have a much longer life than disposbable straws. Starbucks cups for example have this option or a not straw sipper top option. However, the entire cup is still plastic.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    It 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?

    Rachel Sides's avatar
    Rachel Sides 7/12/2022 9:01 AM
    When hosting parties make the extra effort to avoid disposables.

  • Rachel Sides's avatar
    Rachel Sides 7/11/2022 9:26 AM
    Let's go team, beat plastic!
  • 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?

    Rachel Sides's avatar
    Rachel Sides 7/09/2022 8:22 AM
    buying in bulk is one way to reduce waste!