Marcia Stephenson

NSU

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
502 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

plastic item

avoided
UP TO

1.0

low-plastic business

supported
UP TO

6.0

advocacy actions

completed
UP TO

6.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

10

ideas

shared
UP TO

121

minutes

spent learning

Marcia's actions

First Steps: Start with You

Understand plastic labels

Those recycling numbers and symbols can be confusing. I will spend 30 minutes learning what different plastic labels mean, including what can and can’t be recycled, to make more informed choices when I shop.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY 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

Learn how plastic is made

Understanding the origins of plastic helps us see its environmental impact more clearly. I will spend 15 minutes learning how plastic is made — from fossil fuels to finished product — and reflect on how that knowledge influences my choices.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Lead the Way: Shape Your Community

Recommend a documentary, podcast, or article about plastic to others

People are more likely to take action when someone they trust makes a recommendation. I will share a documentary, podcast, or article that helped me understand the impact of plastic to spark curiosity, conversation, and action in others.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Level Up: Influence Friends and Family

Swap ideas for reducing plastic with someone close to you

Sharing ideas helps us stay motivated and discover new ways to take action. I will share ideas with friends or family members about ways we each reduce plastic in our lives.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

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 25 minutes exploring the differences between bioplastics, compostable plastics, and recyclable plastics—and what happens to each at the end of its life.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY 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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lead the Way: Shape Your Community

Start a plastic reduction conversation at school, work, or a community group

Big changes often begin with one bold conversation. I will bring up the topic of reducing plastic at school, work, or in a group I’m part of, planting the seed for collective action.

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 15 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

Participant Feed

Marcia Stephenson 7/31/2025 9:26 PM
One "last post"--recommending the shampoo bars at Lush in Park Royal. I admit the shop aims for the boutique luxury market, but the bars may be surprisingly economical, considering how long they last compared to a plastic bottle of chemicals and water. So if you're at Park Royal on another errand, consider stopping at Lush for a shampoo bar. Or I suppose one could order shampoo bars online to be delivered--but that's another story about the fossil fuel impact of online shopping. I've reinforced a few habits begun in the last ecochallenge, and branched out with some new ones this time...let's hope they last.

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Marcia Stephenson 7/30/2025 9:08 PM
Today I tried to avoid excess plastic by taking my own container to the supermarket-- a lightweight oval container with a snap-on lid that I'd saved and washed instead of recycling it after a take-out meal. At the fish counter, I asked the clerk to place the 2 pieces of steelhead I'd chosen in my container instead of wrapping them up in a plastic bag. The clerk was happy to oblige, but I hadn't realized that she had used a sheet of plastic instead of butcher paper to protect her scale when she weighed the fish and created the price tag. So that plastic piece ended up in my container. A small victory (because I avoided the fish prepackaged on a styrofoam tray with plastic overwrap) but not plastic-free. And the small victory was possible because Safeway still hires employees to staff an in-person counter in the meat department.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
First Steps: Start with You

What’s one change to your grocery habits that felt more manageable than expected — or harder than expected? Why do you think some products, like produce, started amassing so much plastic packaging? Who is the plastic packaging really serving -- the consumer, the producer, or someone else?
Marcia Stephenson 7/27/2025 8:34 PM
Although I already own a supply of fabric mesh bags, the trick is to have all of them clean and ready to go for produce shopping. With all my bags clean from yesterday's laundry, I stopped at a small produce stand first before moving on to the supermarket. More items are displayed in open bins in the small store, and more foods are seasonal and local in contrast to the supermarket, which features more imported produce pre-wrapped in plastic. Sometimes the pre-packaged produce is cheaper, but often the larger number of items in the wrapper is more than my household of 2 can reasonably eat up before it spoils. Price is just one of many trade-offs. As a retiree who lives within walking distance of a shopping centre, I have the luxury of shopping for a smaller number of items more often--trips that are fossil-fuel free.
The plastic overwrap on prepacked produce is not only there to entice shoppers to buy a greater number of items, but also to provide a surface for the scanner barcode, which facilitates self-checkout lines, thereby reducing the number of store employees.

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Marcia Stephenson 7/17/2025 8:02 PM
Our next in-person check-in session will be at 10 am on Saturday, July 19. Bring your own beverage and one example of how you're trying to reduce your consumption of plastic. We'll have some snacks to share in the foyer of the church. Here's link to an article from the North Shore News with data showing an increase in the percentage of paper and plastic recycled in BC last year:
https://www.nsnews.com/environment/bc-recycling-rates-climb-as-more-paper-plastic-products-recovered-says-report-10952365

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Marcia Stephenson 7/15/2025 8:15 PM
Thanks to Michelle Sheardown for sending me links to websites reporting on the international negotiations to reduce global plastic production. The next round of talks on the United Nations Plastic Treaty is coming up on August 5 in Geneva, Switzerland:

https://www.globalplasticlaws.org/un-global-plastics-treaty
https://thecarbonalmanac.org/working-towards-a-global-plastic-treaty/

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REFLECTION QUESTION
First Steps: Start with You

What do you look for when choosing to support a business making sustainable packaging choices, and how do you think we can support more of them?
Marcia Stephenson 7/14/2025 8:18 PM
A shout-out to Bowen Island Brewery for replacing those plastic six-pack ring holders with ones made out of cardboard instead. I've added a photo below.

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- Andrea Robinson 7/14/2025 10:00 PM
  What an awesome idea!!!
  
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Marcia Stephenson 7/13/2025 8:10 PM
Four of us from the team
checked out the Sustainability Sunday offer of 15% off at Bulk Barn when the customer brings containers from home. After my containers were weighed and their tare amounts inked on the lids, I went shopping for dried apricots, roasted almonds, Virginia peanuts, ground flaxseed and a small amount of harissa spice that I'm going to try in a new-to-me recipe.

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Marcia Stephenson 7/12/2025 5:19 PM
Sharing a recent online "good news" story specific to British Columbia, Canada:

The latest episode from CBC's "What on Earth?" series tells the story of Ocean Legacy, a plastic recycling facility in Richmond, BC, that processes marine debris and ghost fishing gear retrieved from the shorelines of our province:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/what-on-earth-fishing-gear-1.7581496

On the Ocean Legacy site, learn about products created from recycled plastic and read their "Top Ten Tips" for avoiding plastic in the first place:

https://oceanlegacy.ca/10-easy-to-implement-ways-to-reduce-your-daily-plastic-consumption/

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Marcia Stephenson 7/09/2025 8:59 PM
I'm going to re-visit the Bulk Barn store at 1500 Marine Drive in North Vancouver soon to shop for nuts, baking supplies and possibly glass containers. This location is one of several outlets in the Lower Mainland operated by the Canadian company. Check out these bonus days: 15% off your purchases on Sundays if you bring your own refillable containers or bags. Check their website to see if your containers meet their standards. Another bonus day is Wednesday, when seniors receive 15% off.

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- Kerry Keck 7/10/2025 6:03 PM
  I've just started looking for groceries who provide bulk options (versus packaged, usually in plastic) here in Houston, Texas. It looks like there is an option not far from where I volunteer with the Society for Prevention or Cruelty of Animals (SPCA). It seems odd to have such limited options in a large metro area, although Texas tends to be dismissive of environmental issues. There was a great bulk store where my parents lived in southeast Idaho. I will be asking about this at more local grocery stores.
  
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- Shae Rutherford 7/09/2025 10:48 PM
  I look forward to hearing how your shop goes for baking supplies, especially sugar or dried fruit. I haven't been to a Bulk Barn in the Lower Mainland, and I wonder if their selection differs at all. I will be checking them out soon too.
  
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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?
Marcia Stephenson 7/08/2025 9:07 PM
I have a much clearer understanding of the distinction between the labels biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable. Just because a product is manufactured from corn or sugar cane stalks doesn't mean it's preferable to plastic made from oil. There are other downsides, such as the chemicals and energy used in raising crops and the lost opportunity to use the land to grow food. But perhaps the biggest disadvantage is that most households don't have access to industrial recycling plants specifically designed to break down the "biodegradable" items.

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