Tom Tran
"Less plastic used, less plastic in the Ocean."
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 1,469 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO74disposable cupsnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO90minutesspent learning
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UP TO30pieces of plastic cutlerynot sent to the landfill
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UP TO302plastic bottlesnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO146plastic containersnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO1.0waste auditconducted
Tom'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!
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.
Lifestyle
Clean Plate Club
When I need to replace my dish soap, I will switch to a bar or refillable option.
Lifestyle
Complete a Waste Audit
I will conduct a waste audit - including recyclables and compost - to understand how much waste I create and where I can reduce the most.
Personal Care
That Was a Close Shave
I will replace my disposable razors with steel razors.
Personal Care
Green Beauty
When it's time to buy more, I will replace my beauty products with refillable, sustainable, and/or DIY options.
Food
Cook a Plastic Free Meal
I will prepare meals at home each day without using any items packaged in single-use plastic.
Family
Learn about Environmental Justice
Using the action resource links below, my family will spend 60 minutes learning about environmental justice, causes of environmental injustice, and how plastic waste disproportionately impacts already vulnerable communities.
Food
Use a Reusable Mug
If possible, I will avoid sending 1 disposable cup(s) to the landfill per day by using a reusable mug or bringing my own travel cup.
Food
Minimize Packaging
I will purchase food items with the least amount of packaging.
Family
Use Cloth Diapers
I will replace single use diapers with reusable cloth diapers.
Family
Glass Bottle Baby
I will replace 10 plastic bottles with glass or stainless steel alternatives.
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.
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
Practice Sustainable Fashion
I will spend 35 minutes learning about the costs of fast fashion and begin trying to practice sustainable fashion in my own life.
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
Buy Only What I Need
I will not buy anything except items required for health and safety.
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
Fill a Water Bottle
I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 6 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.
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).
Food
Skip Plastic Bags
When possible, I will not use disposable bags when shopping, including produce bags.
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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Tom Tran 7/30/2022 1:43 PMThe Plastic Free Challenge has been fun! It has made our family more mindful of single use plastics. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONLifestyle Buy Only What I NeedAs you have reduced your spending, what have you noticed about your 'health and safety' purchasing habits? How might this change your longer term purchasing decisions?
Tom Tran 7/30/2022 1:42 PMAs someone who likes to be prepared, our "health and safety" purchasing habits are always-- "we might need this in the future, so let's stock up on it". Unfortunately, we end up not using some of these products and throw them away when they are past the use by date. In the future, we will be more mindful of what we actually use and try to select items that have a longer shelf life to reduce waste. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Minimize PackagingWith 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?
Tom Tran 7/30/2022 1:38 PMUnfortunately, single use plastics are everywhere. It seems like most foods are packaged in single use plastics. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Cook a Plastic Free MealDo 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?
Tom Tran 7/29/2022 1:50 PMInstead of buying spices in flimsy one use bottles, we can buy a refillable option made of glass. -
Tom Tran 7/28/2022 12:57 PMWoohoo, go LA Zoo Team APE! -
REFLECTION QUESTION
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REFLECTION QUESTIONFamily Learn about Environmental JusticeWhat did you and your family learn about environmental justice? What questions came up for you? What feelings?
Tom Tran 7/27/2022 4:09 PMEnvironmental justice is closely associated with social-economic justice. Many poorer neighborhoods are more susceptible to the effects of industrial pollution. It is very upsetting which calls for more civic engagement to compel positive change from political leaders. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONLifestyle KEEP IT UPCYCLEWhat's a positive example of a repurposed good that you have observed in your neighborhood/city?
Tom Tran 7/27/2022 4:05 PMWhile working with a beach clean up, I noticed pillow cases used as receptacles for trash. The pillow cases were then recollected, washed and ready for the next beach clean up! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONLifestyle Complete a Waste AuditWhat did you learn about the waste you create? Where can you reduce the most?
Tom Tran 7/26/2022 1:40 PMSurprisingly, we create a lot of waste for a small household in a modest house. It made us delve deeper into what kind of waste we generate and how we can reduce it. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONPersonal Care That Was a Close ShaveWhat have you noticed about the economic and social impact of switching to steel razors? Was there ever really a need for disposable razors, or do you think it was just a way to sell more things?
Tom Tran 7/25/2022 1:36 PMI saved a lot of money and eliminated lots of landfill plastic by phasing out disposable razors. The marketing makes it seem like I would get a better shave with disposables but it wasn't true!