Plastic Free Ecochallenge
Check back in Spring 2024 for more information about the 2024 Plastic Free EcoChallenge.
Plastic Free EcoChallenge: July 1-31, 2023
Inspired by the Australian-founded initiative,
Plastic Free EcoChallenge is a 31-day international challenge to raise awareness about the problems with plastic,
to provide opportunities to learn about reducing and refusing plastics where possible,
and to encourage individuals to create small changes that have a huge impact.
Throughout July, participants use the EcoChallenge platform, which offers the opportunity to choose actions to reduce their single-use plastic.
Participants join the "SF Teaching Zoo Zero Wasters" team, and choose actions they pledge to commit to during the month of July. Each challenge category has a variety of actions, from watching videos, writing letters, changing daily behaviors or simply pledging to pick up trash. Teams are able to see their collective impact throughout the month and track other teams to encourage healthy competition. The goal is to turn these actions into habits, creating a more sustainable lifestyle.
Team Member Benefits (2023)
- Discounted zoo admission of $5 (team members only).
- 10% off purchases at Life Unplastic
- Opportunity to earn prizes
- Encouragement and tips from team captains throughout the month
Prizes (2023)
- The first 25 team members who earn 200 points will receive 1 free adult admission ticket to the SF Teaching Zoo
- The first 25 team members who earn 275 points will receive 10% off a gift shop purchase at the SF Teaching Zoo
- The top 3 point earners will receive a gift card to Life Unplastic.
Watch this video to learn how to choose and record your actions!
The SF Teaching Zoo is proud to be a sponsor of the 2023 Plastic Free EcoChallege.
2023 Summary
In 2023, the SF Teaching Zoo Zero Wasters finished 10th place out of over 185 teams!
82 community members participated, preventing over 2,000 pieces of plastic and litter from going to the landfill. Team members spent almost 2,000 minutes learning about waste and sustainability, and had over 100 conversations with friends and family to share how they can get involved and make a positive impact. A huge thanks to our partner for the EcoChallenge, Life Unplastic, for providing discounts to team members, prizes, and being an amazing resource for our community.
2022 Summary
In 2022, the SF Teaching Zoo Zero Wasters finished 13th place out of over 300 teams!
148 community members participated, preventing over 2,500 pieces of plastic and litter from going to the landfill. A huge thanks to the following community partners for offering team member's discounts: Life Unplastic, Alachua Habitat for Humanity ReStore, The Humane Society of North Central Florida Thrift Store, Flashbacks Recycled Fashions, Sandy's Savvy Chic Resale Boutique, Beaten Path Compost, and Zero Waste Gainesville.
2021 Summary
In 2021, the SF Teaching Zoo Zero Wasters team finished in 9th place out of 391 total teams!
Collectively, 102 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 conversation with people about the problem with plastic.
As always, a huge thanks to our community partners at Life Unplastic, The Repurpose Project, and Zero Waste Gainesville for your commitment to sustainability and helping to make our challenge a success.
To learn more about total impacts from the over 6,500 participants, visit the Plastic Free EcoChallenge Impacts page.
2020 Summary
This year, the SF Teaching Zoo Zero Wasters team finished in 7th place out of 381 teams around North America! Collectively, the team saved up to 801 pieces of plastic cutlery, 245 plastic straws, 311 plastic containers and 272 plastic bottles from the landfill. They picked up almost 400 pieces of litter, signed 29 environmental petitions, and spent nearly 2500 minutes learning about plastic consumption! Learn more about the collective impact from all participants on the Plastic Free EcoChallenge impact page.
This year, community partners offered amazing opportunities for the participants. Life Unplastic gave discounts on their plastic free products and bulk items and The Repurpose Project hosted a free screening of The Story of Plastic with a post-screening Zoom discussion. Gainesville is lucky to have organizations continuously working to reduce waste and educate our community.
2019 Summary
- 10 Gainesville community teams
- 6 Gainesville teams finished in the top 100 (out of 776 teams!)
- 248,356 plastic items were not consumed during the month of July among all participants.
- 15,238 participants across 54 countries and 58 states/regions