TRC employees made a wide range of sustainable substitute suggestions for everyday life in areas such as cleaning ( dryer balls , homemade baking soda and vinegar cleaning solutions , and refillable cleaning spray containers ); at home solutions ( plastic wrap replacements , reusable straws and biodegradable baggies for pet waste ) and personal hygiene ( shampoo and conditioning bars , tablet toothpaste and reusable cotton swabs ). TRC employees also submitted meatless recipes for nearly any occasion .
Another category that provided interesting and educational responses was the citizen science tool category . The most popular tool was iNaturalist , but other notable submittals were Zooniverse , NASA Earth Observatory and Hummingbird Central . All participants said they would recommend the activity . Here are some participant quotes :
■ “ I logged all the birds in my backyard for a day with my son and daughter .”
■ “ I identified patches of sea kelp for researchers .”
■ “ I took some time to just sit and wait and watch for birds - I found it really relaxing and felt closer to nature , even while using an app !”
■ “ This project opens your eyes and ears to life all around you , even in the city .”
■ “ It was really interesting and fun to contribute to science !”
TRC employees , family , and friends cleaned local communities , parks , and roads from coast to coast .
The month-long challenge was a tremendous success . TRC employees and their families got involved in their communities , grew in sustainability awareness , learned important lessons and had fun in the process .
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