I will spend 5 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Pets
All Natural Pet Toys
I will give my pets natural alternatives to toys like femur bones and antlers, canvas, natural rubber, hemp, rope or cotton toys. Or make our own toys from recycled items found in our home!
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Community
Keep My Community Clean
I will pick up 3 piece(s) of litter each day.
COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS
Lifestyle
Proper Bioplastic Disposal
I will spend at least 40 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 6 friends, family, and/or colleagues.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Community
Raise Money For a Nonprofit
I will raise money to support a nonprofit dedicated to plastic pollution reduction.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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.
COMPLETED 31
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 31
DAILY ACTIONS
Personal Care
Eco Deodorant
I will switch to a plastic-free deodorant — whether purchased or DIY'd.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Personal Care
Brush with Bamboo
I will replace my plastic toothbrush with a bamboo toothbrush.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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
Dig into Bioplastics
I will spend at least 30 minutes researching the impacts of bioplastics and how to properly dispose of them in my city, and I will share this information with 2 friends, family, and/or colleagues.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Pets
DIY Cat Litter
I will swap out my cat's litter for sawdust, mulch, or dirt with baking soda.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Lifestyle
Practice Sustainable Fashion
I will spend 30 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
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
Personal Care
Sustainable Suds
I will replace my soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and lotions with a sustainable, unpackaged, or refillable option.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Community
Host a Watch Party
I will host a watch party with friends and/or colleagues to watch and discuss a movie about plastics.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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
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
Homemade Cleaners
I will make my own cleaning products at home.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Lifestyle
Clean Plate Club
When I need to replace my dish soap, I will switch to a bar or refillable option.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Community
Learn about Plastic Production
Plastic production, not just disposal, pollutes communities and harms people. I will learn about the impacts of plastic production on humans, animals, communities, and the environment.
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?
Pineapple sage and dandelion tea today. Pick and mixing herbs and flowers from the garden this past month has been a delightful experience. Light and refreshing!
What did you learn about how plastic production impacts humans, animals, communities, and the environment? Which of these impacts specifically affects your community?
"The camera should be used for a recording of life, for rendering the very substance and quintessence of the thing itself"Edward Weston
I took this photo at a gannet colony in NZ. If we were to look at this from another perspective, from the inside out, would cause of death, be a belly full of plastic? Having seen the impacts of plastic on birds and marine life throughout this eco challenge, it's quite likely. Globally plastic production is increasing every year, so is climate change. One cannot hide, bury their head, stand back or watch on any longer. Grateful for the learnings this month I'll continue to reduce purchasing single use plastic and look for sustainable alternatives. Zero plastic is the goal, healthier humans, healthier wildlife, thriving communities, environment and planet. Collectively, it's very possible.
I learnt bioplastics are recycled separately and not all countries have processing plants. We do have a processing plant in our region. Soft plastics though, can only be dropped off at a few select stores and our local supermarket had removed their recycle bin which was disappointing. The innovative products they're making out of recycling soft plastics was fascinating so I'm hoping recycling points become more accessible in the near future. Until then I'll continue to find ways to try and reduce my plastic consumption.
NZ is seabird capital of the world. Many species are now threatened due to the impact of climate change and plastic pollution on land and at sea. Forest and Bird is working to protect these species and have a Plastic Pledge urging our Ministry of Environment to work with industry and public to reduce plastic waste and stop it from entering oceans. I've made a small donation in support.
Cat's once revered as gods and goddesses for protecting food crops, have always been a part of our family. Yup, I'm a cat person! Here's what I've learnt from felines over the years: 1. Loyalty. Trust. Patience. 4. Honor thy space. 5. There's a time for silence, a time to purr and a time to roar. 6. You don't need to speak the same language to understand each other. 7. Listen to thy cat. Cat senses are far superior to human senses. 8. If a stray cat arrives, make it welcome. 9. Play as long as you like, sleep as much as you need. 10. Unconditional love.
There's a feeling of a greater connectivity to your community, when helping to keep the area you live tidy, and ripples out to the wider environment too. Removing plastic bottles and debris wedged into storm water drains reduces flooding, creates safer driving conditions, protects wildlife, local waterways, and oceans from the damaging effects of plastic and other litter.
Took a walk up to the local park today, picking up plastic and other litter along the way. It was surprising how many large 2L and 1L plastic bottles there were, along with a some single use items, water bottles, drink cans, plastic sauce packaging, gloves and masks.
That many natural and organic items can be used for cleaning products, lemons, vinegar, baking soda. Saves on costs and environmentally friendly to humans, wildlife and the planet. Lemons bring back the shine to brass, and lemon with baking soda shines sinks too. Bringing fragrant flowers or herbs like marigolds, calendula, basil and mint indoors make for great air fresheners and insect repellants. No synthetic chemicals and fragrances which are severe endocrine disruptors, reduces risk of cancer and many endocrine disorders.
Easy swap for me! We used these soap bars all the time as a kid and then gradually just used them for outdoor washing up or soaking laundry. They're now back in the kitchen sink, kinder on the hands and environment. Plastic packaging, ZERO!
My feline pretty much ignores pet toys and quite happily plays when she feels like it, with a ball of wool, twig or sprig of catnip - all eco friendly. Cat nip grows easily, and a miracle cure to some cat ailments. When one of my cats was displaying leg pain, curled up and not eating, I was prepared for a visit to the vet in the morning, This cat loved the scent of catnip so I thought I'd place a sprig next to him for the night. Surprisingly he quickly devoured a few leaves, then a few more in the morning and good as new, running around again. Natural medicine.
