Skip to main content
Dory Ingram's avatar

Dory Ingram

South Carolina Aquarium

"My mission is to support citizen science projects that focus on the reduction of plastic waste, specifically the South Carolina Aquarium Citizen Science Litter Journal."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 406 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    bag of litter
    collected
  • UP TO
    1.0
    advocacy action
    completed
  • UP TO
    1.0
    community event
    hosted or attended
  • UP TO
    45
    minutes
    spent learning

Dory's actions

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 10 minutes learning how plastic is made — from fossil fuels to finished product — and reflect on how that knowledge influences my choices.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

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 10 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

Lead the Way: Shape Your Community

Participate in or organize a community clean up

Plastic pollution is visible in many communities. I will take part in or organize a cleanup event to remove litter, raise awareness, and spark conversations about how plastic ends up in our environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Share My Why

Take the Beyond Plastic Ecochallenge Feedback Survey

I will take a short survey about my experience to help the Ecochallenge team improve future events, earn a chance to win a prize, and earn 15 points!

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Lead the Way: Shape Your Community
    How does working with others to clean up your community make you feel? What kinds of plastic waste did you find the most, and what does that say about local habits or systems?

    Dory Ingram's avatar
    Dory Ingram 7/31/2025 5:17 AM
    • Earth Advocate 📣
    I love working with others on litter sweeps, whether I am leading them or participating with them, or even doing a solo sweep as a part of my volunteer work with our local Keep America Beautiful affiliate. As a volunteer with the South Carolina Aquarium, I take part in litter sweeps with data collection, using our citizen science tool, the Litter Journal. This data has been used with great success in many municipalities along our coast and in the upstate, to achieve ordinances and improved actions to mitigate pollution, especially plastic pollution, across our state.

    • Janelle Uy's avatar
      Janelle Uy 7/31/2025 6:17 AM
      • TEAM CAPTAIN
      • Educator 🧠
      Wow! I love that you have a citizen science project along with your litter sweeps and that the data you gather is actually being used to inform policies and local programs. Kudos to your community!

  • Dory Ingram's avatar
    Dory Ingram 7/24/2025 7:55 AM
    • Earth Advocate 📣
    I watched a short video about how plastic is made but it also showed the "good" or useful side of plastic. https://www.google.com/search?q=how+is+plastic+made&rlz=1C1JSBI_enUS1081US1081&oq=how+is+plastic+made&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORiABDIMCAEQIxgnGIAEGIoFMgcIAhAAGIAEMgcIAxAAGIAEMgcIBBAAGIAEMgcIBRAAGIAEMgcIBhAAGIAEMgcIBxAAGIAEMgcICBAAGIAEMgcICRAAGIAE0gEIMzczM2owajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:4406d93c,vid:6PgjA3HISmw,st:0

    • Dory Ingram's avatar
      Dory Ingram 7/27/2025 3:52 PM
      • Earth Advocate 📣
      You bet! That video is pretty basic, but it was enlightening!

    • Linda Rowe's avatar
      Linda Rowe 7/27/2025 2:56 PM
      • TEAM CAPTAIN
      • Eco-Conscious Consumer 🛍
      Thanks for sharing that link, Dory!

  • Dory Ingram's avatar
    Dory Ingram 7/21/2025 5:00 AM
    • Earth Advocate 📣
    I led the Cherry Point Sweep at Cherry Point Boat Landing on Wadmalaw.

  • Dory Ingram's avatar
    Dory Ingram 7/21/2025 4:59 AM
    • Earth Advocate 📣
    Led Cherry Point sweep at Cherry Point Landing

  • Dory Ingram's avatar
    Dory Ingram 7/21/2025 4:58 AM
    • Earth Advocate 📣
    I helped to lead the monthly Kiawah Conservancy Sweep at Mingo Point.

  • Dory Ingram's avatar
    Dory Ingram 7/20/2025 8:01 AM
    • Earth Advocate 📣
    Today I did a litter sweep with data collection as a member of Keep Wadmalaw Beautiful.

  • Dory Ingram's avatar
    Dory Ingram 7/01/2025 6:06 AM
    • Earth Advocate 📣
    I watched this simple YouTube to learn more about how plastic is made and recycled: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXQ5iJ5lagg&t=506s
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    First Steps: Start with You
    How does understanding the origin of plastic change the way you think about using it in everyday life?

    Dory Ingram's avatar
    Dory Ingram 7/01/2025 6:05 AM
    • Earth Advocate 📣
    Aside from the damage done by burning fossil fuels, the origin of plastic makes me reflect upon the following: If it takes millions of years for oil to be produced from organic forms, it is only logical that since it is extracted from the earth in such huge quantities, it seems as if the supply would run out. Slow to be created, fast to be extracted means that reusing this material only makes sense.