Anyone who knows me knows that single-use plastics are one of my biggest pet peeves.
No joke — a few years ago at Friendsgiving, we were playing “Taboo.” My friend Lauren drew a card and-
Lauren: “Oooo, OOO! The thing Randi hates!”
Everyone at the table, all at once: “PLASTIC!”
So, when I discovered the Azulita Project, a Flagstaff-based non-profit focused on reducing single-use plastics, I was SO on board.
Azulita’s mission is to empower community action to prevent and reduce single-use plastic waste.
A perfect fit, right?!
I found the Azulita Project on Instagram a few weeks ago when its account popped up as a recommended account when I was browsing through similar Flagstaff-based business accounts.
I immediately emailed to ask about volunteering and was asked if I could cover a shift at the upcoming Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival, which I was so happy to do!
This was honestly such a cool volunteer experience.
In addition to meeting some cool people who also volunteer with Azulita, I also got free admission to that day’s film festival screenings! Sunday’s theme was “The Power of Women,” so all the short documentaries played at the Orpheum Theater were focused on women and girls.
Some of the highlights were “Frontline,” a documentary about a group of nurses who took time away from work during COVID to complete Europe’s 112-mile Mont Blanc trail, “Forward,” a documentary about a plus-sized Mexican American woman named Anjelica Avella, working to get more plus-sized women of color involved in outdoor recreation, and “Chicas al Agua,” a short film about an organization working to get more Chilean girls interested in river kayaking.
I didn’t get to watch all of the films because I had a little bit of volunteer work to do during some of them, but the ones I did watch were fantastic.
I spent some time before the festival and during the festival’s intermission staffing a table full of products and educational materials.
Azulita sponsored the festival and, as part of its sponsorship, made the festival single-use plastic free by providing reusable drink and water cups for use throughout the screenings.
The Orpheum unfortunately doesn’t use reusable drink glasses during events, so in addition to staffing Azulita’s table, I also washed reusable glassware during and after the event.
In addition to providing reusable glassware for Flagstaff events, Azulita Project also provides reusable tote bags for Flagstaff markets, has a Lomi composter rental program and organizes plastic recapture events along the Pacific Ocean shoreline in Mexico.
I had such a fantastic time volunteering with Azulita yesterday, and I’m looking forward to volunteering again!
