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Welcome to Beyond Plastic Ecochallenge 2025!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Beyond Plastic Ecochallenge 2025 expert in no time!

Ecochallenge.org
Beyond Plastic Ecochallenge 2025
July 1 - July 31, 2025
Rev. Dr. Shirley Belk's avatar

Rev. Dr. Shirley Belk

Sedgwick County Zoo

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 50 THIS WEEK
  • 253 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    low-plastic meal
    consumed
  • UP TO
    1.0
    plastic footprint
    calculated
  • UP TO
    6.0
    plastic items
    avoided
  • UP TO
    2.0
    ideas
    shared
  • UP TO
    90
    minutes
    spent learning

Rev. Dr. Shirley's actions

First Steps: Start with You

Estimate My Plastic Consumption

Understanding my plastic footprint is a powerful first step toward making change. I will complete a short online plastic calculator, like the one from rePurpose Global, to estimate my annual plastic use and explore ways to reduce it.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

First Steps: Start with You

Design my grocery routine for less plastic

Our grocery habits are one of the biggest sources of single-use plastic, from packaging on produce to plastic bags and containers. I will spend 60 minutes researching low-plastic shopping strategies and make a list of things to look for or do differently the next time I go to the store.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Level Up: Influence Friends and Family

Give a small gift that helps someone reduce plastic (e.g., tote, bottle, soap bar)

Giving can be an act of change and inspiration. I will give a thoughtful, plastic-free or plastic-reducing gift — like a reusable bag, bottle, or bar soap — to someone in my life and share why I chose it.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Level Up: Influence Friends and Family

Pack a low or no-plastic lunch and talk about it with others

Food packaging is a major source of plastic. I will pack a lunch with little or no plastic and use it as a conversation starter with coworkers, classmates, or friends to share tips and inspire change.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

First Steps: Start with You

Learn how plastic is made

Understanding the origins of plastic helps us see its environmental impact more clearly. I will spend 30 minutes learning how plastic is made — from fossil fuels to finished product — and reflect on how that knowledge influences my choices.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Participant Feed

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    First Steps: Start with You
    Did your estimated plastic footprint surprise you? How does it compare to the global average? After estimating your annual use, how did it feel to put a number on it? Did it inspire a sense of urgency, or something else?
    Rev. Dr. Shirley Belk's avatar
    Rev. Dr. Shirley Belk 7/01/2025 12:58 PM
    My estimated plastic footprint surprised me as it was above average for my country. Since I rarely use plastic anything, I'm surprised at the figure of 138.2 kg per year.

    Read More