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Linda Moore's avatar

Linda Moore

Akron Zoo

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 186 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    6.0
    plastic items
    avoided
  • UP TO
    80
    minutes
    spent learning

Linda's actions

First Steps: Start with You

Swap one product for a refillable or plastic-free option

Even small swaps can add up to big impact. I will replace one product I use regularly — like soap, cleaning spray, or snacks — with a refillable or plastic-free version.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

First Steps: Start with You

Support businesses with plastic-free or refillable options

Where we spend our money shapes the market. I will support a business that offers plastic-free, low-waste, or refillable products or services.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Level Up: Influence Friends and Family

Invite others to join the Ecochallenge

Our actions are more powerful when we take them together. I will invite someone to join the Ecochallenge with me so we can learn and take action together.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Level Up: Influence Friends and Family

Start a household challenge to reduce plastic

Change starts at home. I will create a fun challenge with my household — like using no single-use plastic for a day or swapping out a product — to make plastic reduction a shared goal.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

First Steps: Start with You

Discover the difference between bioplastics, compostable plastics, and recyclable plastics

Not all “eco-friendly” plastics are created equal. I will spend 20 minutes exploring the differences between bioplastics, compostable plastics, and recyclable plastics—and what happens to each at the end of its life.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

First Steps: Start with You

Track my plastic use for a day or a week

Awareness is the first step toward change. I’ll track how much plastic I use in a day (or week), paying attention to packaging, food containers, and single-use items. I’ll reflect on what surprised me most and what I could do differently.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

First Steps: Start with You

Choose secondhand or a recycled product for my next purchase

Buying recycled or secondhand products helps close the loop and reduces demand for new plastic. I will look for and purchase a product made from recycled materials or choose a secondhand option the next time I shop to keep valuable resources in use longer.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

First Steps: Start with You

Check recycling near me

Recycling rules vary by location. I’ll spend 10 minutes learning which plastics my local program accepts. This helps me avoid “wishcycling” — tossing items in the bin and hoping they’ll be recycled, even if they aren’t.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

First Steps: Start with You

Find out why plastic recycling isn’t working as we expect and where plastics end up

Many of us recycle with good intentions, but most plastic doesn’t get recycled. I will spend 20 minutes learning why plastic recycling falls short and what really happens to plastic waste.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Participant Feed

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    First Steps: Start with You
    What did you discover about recycling and waste management in your area that more people should know? How might you share that knowledge?

    Linda Moore's avatar
    Linda Moore 7/23/2025 11:32 AM
    Found out that my local Staples takes small lithium batteries. Yay!

    • Mary Hanks's avatar
      Mary Hanks 7/23/2025 7:47 PM
      • TEAM CAPTAIN
      The ink bottles that came with the printer we just installed had information about specific retailers that accept the empty bottles for recycling. Hurray!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    First Steps: Start with You
    What was the most eye-opening fact you learned about the limits of recycling, and how might it shift your habits? How do you feel knowing that so much of what we put in recycling bins may never actually be recycled? What should we do differently?

    Linda Moore's avatar
    Linda Moore 7/23/2025 11:31 AM
    Actually it made me saddened to think that all this time I thought that I was doing the right thing by being diligent with recycling. Now I know that a lot of products marked recyclable are most likely not recyclable. I plan to research this some more. Makes me aggravated.

    • Linda Moore's avatar
      Linda Moore 7/24/2025 5:14 AM
      Indeed! Well said! Still ticked off about it!

    • Mary Hanks's avatar
      Mary Hanks 7/23/2025 7:49 PM
      • TEAM CAPTAIN
      It does seem to me sometimes that government entities and other organizations are trying to fob us off with pixie dream dust greenwashing promises of the effective of recycling programs in order to make us feel like we're already accomplishing something...and thereby discouraging us for demanding real action.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    First Steps: Start with You
    How do these different materials shift your sense of what’s truly “sustainable” — and what’s just marketing? Are bioplastics accepted by your city's waste management?

    Linda Moore's avatar
    Linda Moore 7/15/2025 5:16 AM
    Bioplastics are acceptable by my city’s waste management at this time. They are all lumped together without any specific separation from the other materials that they will accept.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Level Up: Influence Friends and Family
    What did your household choose to focus on, and what was it like to work toward change together? What helped or hindered your progress?

    Linda Moore's avatar
    Linda Moore 7/07/2025 5:24 PM
    I quit buying snack size yogurts and applesauce and moved to larger containers and will pack them in reusable containers when needed.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    First Steps: Start with You
    What influenced your decision on what to swap, and how does that small change feel in the bigger picture? Was the swap easy or difficult? What did it make you realize about convenience, cost, or access to better options?

    Linda Moore's avatar
    Linda Moore 7/01/2025 8:55 AM
    I cut out using ziplock bags with reusable glass containers. I buy refillable cleaning products and re-use them by refilling instead of of buying new ones.