Autumn Foss

Normandale Environmental Chemistry

"Reducing plastic one meal at a time. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
141 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

4.0

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

2.6

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

0.6

pounds

waste avoided
UP TO

0.3

pounds

packaging waste avoided
UP TO

30

minutes

spent learning

Autumn's actions

At Home

Skip the Dryer Sheets

I will replace dryer sheets with a reusable alternative or use nothing at all.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Make Your Own

I will try a new recipe or food preparation method, such as canning, pickling, making yogurt, or baking granola bars or bread.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Kids

Reuse School Supplies

I will reuse items for back to school or shop secondhand before buying new.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Plastics 101

Read Plastic-Free Challenge emails

I will read through the three emails each week to learn more about plastic and get ideas on how to use less.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Plastics 101

Stop "wishcycling"

Contamination makes the recycling process more difficult. I will review which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my county and recycle only those items.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Say no to “Flushable wipes”

Wipes don't break down in sewer systems, but create massive clogs. I will find alternatives to using disposable wipes.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food

Swap the Snacks

I will swap 3 prepackaged snacks for unpackaged fruits or veggies or homemade or bulk items each time we need more.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Plastics 101

Know the Numbers

The numbers #1-7 on plastics tell us a lot and can help us be better recyclers. I will learn more about what the symbols on plastics mean.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Cook Meals with Zero Plastic Waste

I will prepare 1 meal(s) at home each day without using any items packaged in single-use plastic.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Kids

How many items are you able to reuse year to year from your child's school supplies?
Autumn Foss 2/09/2026 11:08 AM
I don't have children, but I was able to reuse my own school supplies from last year, like left over notebooks that I hardly used -- they're great for scratch paper or for taking notes when I don't need a full notebook.

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- Julie DURR 2/09/2026 12:39 PM
  I let the grandkids use the items that can be reused or used up.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How do you feel about being more involved in the food preparation process? Joyful, overwhelmed, engaged, empowered? What are the benefits of choosing to process or produce your own food instead of buying it pre-processed?
Autumn Foss 2/09/2026 11:06 AM
One of the benefits of making my own food is that I can control the amount of ingredients and types of ingredients that are in my food. For example, many recipes call for more sugar than is needed, so I can reduce the amount of sugar by using less. For example, I like to make a baked oatmeal recipe that calls for a cup of brown sugar; the recipe does not need that much. I often use 1/3-1/2 cup or brown sugar and it tastes sugary enough, and it's more healthy with less empty calories. It is empowering to be able to do this, instead of just eating items purchased from a store.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How does swapping out prepackaged snacks for fresh fruit or veggies or homemade or bulk items benefit your household?
Autumn Foss 2/03/2026 6:20 PM
Swapping out prepackaged snacks for homemade items benefits my household because there is so much less plastic waste! For example, I noticed how much packaging is in a bag of granola bites that I like to buy -- each little bag of granola bites has a plastic bag, along with the plastic bag the little bags all come in. Instead, I made homemade granola and stored it in a glass jar, and there was zero plastic doing that.

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