Darr Durham

LNS

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
176 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

7.0

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

70

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

7.0

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

28

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

7.0

pounds of paper

have been saved

Darr's actions

Water

Say No to Plastic Straws

An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When they ingest plastic, marine life has a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 2 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Recycle Everything I Can

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 10 minutes researching and recycling all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will keep 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Choose Two-Sided Printing

I will save up to .21 lbs (.09 kg) of paper each day by switching from one-sided printing to two-sided.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Skip the Straw

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 2 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

I will avoid sending 1 disposable cup(s) to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 7
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
Waste Recycle Everything I Can

What have you learned about what is accepted by local haulers for recycling, what you can drop off or ship to certain places, and what is not recyclable in your area? What is the most difficult part of recycling for you?

Darr Durham 4/12/2019 1:42 PM

I live in a small apartment. The property owners are not required to compost, so I really have nowhere to collect or dispose of food waste.
Due to space, I am also not able to warehouse the plastics that aren't allowed in our collections dumpster. When I had room, I took this stuff to a depot.
The most frustrating thing is seeing non-recyclables in our collections dumpster - plastic bags, styrofoam, clamshells, etc. Wish-cycling materials!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Use Reusable Bags

What do you do if you find yourself in the situation of needing a bag for items but don't have a reuseable one with you? Carry things out in your hands? In a cart? Accept a disposable one? If you find yourself in this position often, what system could you put in place to try to establish this a successful habit?

Darr Durham 4/12/2019 1:33 PM

A friend gave me a lightweight fabric bag that crams into a little pouch. I used a small carabiner to attach the bag (in its pouch) to my purse. When I need a bag, it's at the ready.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Choose Two-Sided Printing

Choosing two-sided printing can be an easy adjustment on your computer settings. How can you help others make this same switch? Can it be encouraged company wide?

Darr Durham 4/12/2019 1:31 PM

This is pretty easy since I work for a company that takes sustainability seriously. I personally generate quite a bit of single-sided documents (due to the nature of each document being only one page long). This material is dated, and when it's no longer needed, I print another set on the backside of an earlier set.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Water Say No to Plastic Straws

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Darr Durham 4/12/2019 1:28 PM

I do use the plastic produce bags from the grocery store, but I use them more than once. When I get home, the fruits go in a hanging basket, the vegetables get used fairly quickly. So, the bags are re-usable. Maybe I have to hang them up to dry before the next use, but then I just put them with my cloth shopping bags so they are ready for the next trip.

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