Plastic Free Ecochallenge 2022: Collective Impact

Total Participants

6,055

across 46 countries and 53 states/regions

with 71% as first-time participants

Total Teams

310

Total Actions Completed

136,043

Total Posts Shared

10,633

with 5,150 reflections

and 6,203 high-fives

Top Impactful Actions

Minimize Packaging

Cook a Plastic Free Meal

Buy Only What I Need

Discover Together

Pearly Whites

Participant Engagement

Average # of daily check-ins: 9

One-time action success rate: 46%

Daily action success rate: 29%

ABOUT PLASTIC FREE ECOCHALLENGE

Offered in partnership between Ecochallenge.org and Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Plastic Free Ecochallenge is a month-long challenge to care for our wildlife and our environment by going plastic-free.

Ecochallengers committed to plastic-free actions from July 1 – 31, 2022. We refused single-use plastics, repurposed plastics in creative ways, cleaned up our local spaces, and transformed our habits. Through Plastic Free Ecochallenge, we put our plastic-free intentions into action and created huge collective impact.

"Looking forward to another great year!! This Ecochallenge always gives me the nudge I need to try new things, and I'm so excited to build more good habits this July!"

— Kylie

"I'm excited to conspire with my teammates on learning and breaking free from single-use plastics, one habit at a time!!"

— Jacqui

"I’m super excited for this challenge. I really want to be more environmentally aware and conscious about my daily life."

— Annalysa

"I am very excited to get started tomorrow. I'm happy to have found challenges that will not only reduce my plastic waste, but also ones that are good for my health too! "

— Allison

"The daily check-ins and friendly competition is very motivating!"

— Tessa

"One week into the challenge and learning something new each day. Go Team ECOS!"

— Jennifer

"This EcoChallenge has been awesome. My family has been more involved than ever and the pride and excitement we’ve all had with each action and activity! So proud to have been a part of this July!"

— Gina

"I have had a great month and have learned a lot! I hope to continue learning, growing, and sharing what I've learned with others."

— Danielle

"This is such a genius idea! Making sustainability into a game of sorts- having us earn points is motivating me to make changes in my own life I've been wanting to for a long time."

— Lindsay

"I'm excited about everything I'm learning and am eager to continue passing my knowledge onto my family."

— Joanna

"Today was the third grocery trip of the month for me and I’m so happy to still remember my reusable bags! Not only do I save 10+ plastic bags from the landfill in each trip, but they make unloading food from my car to the house 100x easier!"

— Rachel

"It's going great and it's made me very aware. We're very excited about healthy living and fresh herbs and veggies."

— Carole

"I've been enjoying my fresh package-free tomatoes from my garden! It's taken time and effort to weed and water my raised garden beds, but the benefits are worth it :)"

— Ginni

"Incorporating the R's into my daily life will take a conscious effort all the time. Being aware of what I am using and asking myself "can it be re-purposed" or "can I change a habit by incorporating one of the R's". It will definitely be a journey, but one worth investing in!"

— Judy

"Great challenge overall and spurred me to do more! Once you start keeping these issues top of mind, it gets easier and becomes more of a habit to bring that cup and reusable utensils! None of us are perfect and I don't strive to be, but we can all do more and challenge ourselves!"

— Samantha

"I have learned to be more conscientious about the items I am using and hoping to change my habits and behaviors. Thank you for this fun activity."

— Melissa

"This was a wonderful experience. I was able to be conscious of my actions and express my concerns with a community of like-minded individuals."

— Randall