August 9, 2021 – For 31 days in July, 102 community members joined the SF Teaching Zoo Zero Wasters team to learn about the problems with plastic and take action to reduce their plastic consumption. This year, SF’s Plastic Free EcoChallenge team ended up in ninth place out of over 390 teams nationwide!
Collectively, team members prevented up to 1,400 plastic containers, 615 pieces of plastic cutlery, 455 plastic bottles, and 517 plastic straws from ending up in a landfill – or our waters. Team members also picked up almost 1000 pieces of litter, spent over 3000 minutes learning about plastic issues, and had over 100 conversations with people about the problem with plastic.
The SF Teaching Zoo thanks Life Unplastic for partnering with the zoo and offering discounts to participants, and Amanda Waddle from The Repurpose Project and Zero Waste Gainesville for offering a presentation about plastic pollution. Gainesville is so lucky to have amazing organizations on the front lines working to reduce waste and educate our community.
Congratulations to the top 3 points earners on the SF Teaching Zoo Zero Wasters team! The following individuals were awarded a gift certificate to Life Unplastic to continue their plastic-free journey.
- Julie McGrath
- Carla Prieto
- Erika Smith