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Week 1 - Welcome Email

Posted by Meredith Moore on March 1, 2021

Hello! Thank you for registering for the iSEE Plastic Free Challenge during the month of March. You have taken an important step to becoming more conscious of your daily plastic use, and we are excited to help as you continue your journey to becoming plastic-free. You are likely to know others who use too much plastic (after all, it's everywhere!); remember, it is extremely important to share the tips and resources throughout the challenge with other people and to lead by example.

The Plastic Free Challenge will last four weeks: Monday, March 1 until Sunday, March 28. Each day, keep track of the items you throw away using the predetermined point system (attached). Each plastic item yields points and environmentally-friendly actions subtract points from your total, examples of which can be found on the point list. You do not need to track the items that you reuse or recycle. The goal is to earn as few points as possible. Please submit your grid at the end of each week by the following Monday at 8:00 a.m. using the Google Form. This week, upload the grid to the Week 1 Google Form by Monday, March 8 at 8:30 a.m.

While the grid is a great way to track and total your points at the end of the day, we suggest you keep track of points on your phone or a piece of scratch paper as you throw away the items. Every week, we will send resources to assist you in this challenge and remind you to keep up the great work. This is a challenge, and it is not going to be easy!

Remember - refuse plastics when you can, and make sure to repurpose and recycle those you must take. Hopefully, throughout the challenge, you develop a personal habit of waste consciousness. All participants will be entered into a raffle at the end of the challenge to win prizes! You will earn an entry for each week that you submit your grid and point total.

We encourage you to engage with fellow participants on UIUC’s Sustainability forum: Waste Reduction @ Illinois | Facebook. This is where we welcome you to post questions, tips, and resources to support each other during this challenge!

Please respond to this email if you have any further questions and reach out to us at any time throughout the month. We would love to hear from you! We are very excited to kick off this fun and impactful challenge with you all. Remember to recommend friends, family, and colleagues to join the challenge as well! It is never too late.

Thank you and have fun!

Meredith Moore, iSEE Sustainability Programs Coordinator

Emily Dickett, iSEE Sustainability Intern