The Problem
The United States uses a mind-boggling amount of plastic each day! It has become engrained in our way of life. We believe it is time for people to step up and say \"No thank you\" to plastic and single use items!
Our Plan
We will be taking part in Plastic Free July by signing up for the Choose to Refuse Challenge. We will evaluate how our families use plastic and materials. We will research, discover and share alternative products (including our favorites!). We will take it one step further and ask others to join us in this not -too- challenging challenge! Changing how we do things doesn\'t need to be scary and we don\'t need to do it all at once (unless we are able to!). We will work together to see how small swaps can make a big impact!
Themes Addressed
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Responsible Consumption
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Sustainability
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Water Pollution & Conservation
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Zero Waste
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The Benefit
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People
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Animals
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Environment
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Here is how the project went:
This project was fun and exciting. It went well and was popular. We learned about new products and many families were able to bring home bundles of sustainable swaps for everyday items!
Through this project I/we learned:
We learned about products and ideas to make more eco-friendly choices. We learned about local stores and sellers who make reusable products and alternatives to throw-away items. Money was a constraint for this project, but we were still able to make it work. We could have reached more people if we had a larger budget, made the bundles smaller or if we approached companies to donate items,
What I/we might change:
I would contact companies to see if they would be willing to donate items. I would also perhaps showcase all the products, but maybe ask individuals to choose one - three items they would most like to try, instead of giving everyone everything.
My/our favorite part of this project was:
The children were very excited to gather together and go through their "sustainable swaps" calendar of ideas! We circled things we have done already and chose steps to take next to improve our journey of living with a lighter footprint.
Some tips, tricks or fun facts about the project:
www.plasticfreejuly.org has some very helpful information and resources! Their printables were handy in getting people engaged and involved! They also served as good icebreakers!
