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Vivien Fowler's avatar

Vivien Fowler

Washington County Staff

"To promote sustainable living, have a healthier lifestyle, and contribute to healthier environment"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,025 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    81
    zero-waste meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    29
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    0.6
    pounds
    waste avoided
  • UP TO
    4.9
    pounds
    packaging waste avoided
  • UP TO
    9.5
    pounds
    waste recycled

Vivien's actions

Plastics 101

Recycle Plastic Caps

I will recycle 5 plastic caps per day by placing them back on the plastic bottles before placing them in my recycling bin.

COMPLETED 27
DAILY ACTIONS

Plastics 101

Avoid Harmful Plastics

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polyvinyl, polystyrene and polycarbonate (#3,#6 and #7).

COMPLETED 27
DAILY ACTIONS

At Home

Choose Natural Clothing Fibers

I will purchase clothing made with natural fibers, such as cotton, linen, or wool, rather than synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon, acrylic or spandex.

COMPLETED 27
DAILY ACTIONS

Plastics 101

Put compostable plastics in the right place 

I will make sure any BPI-certified compostable plastic products I use will be disposed of correctly by putting them in my curbside compost/food scraps bin or taking them to a drop-off location and not placing them in the regular recycling.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 27
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Ditch the Plastic Wrap

I will ditch plastic wrap and use reusable containers, lids or wraps instead.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

Use Plastic-Free Beauty Packaging

I will use beauty products that come in plastic-free packaging or refillable packaging.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME 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 27
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Skip Single-Use Plastic for Freezing Food

I will use reusable containers when freezing food and opt for glass or metal when purchasing new containers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.

To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?


  • Vivien Fowler's avatar
    Vivien Fowler 3/01/2025 5:52 AM
    Yesterday and today...my hubby and I were helping one of friends declutter and getting rid of plastic items in their home.

  • Vivien Fowler's avatar
    Vivien Fowler 2/27/2025 4:55 PM
    I feel that we need to empower communities to take charge of their plastic waste management. This afternoon I attended an event where they served bottled water. The management of this event most likely is not practicing sustainability or taking a plastic-free challenge that can help reduce plastic waste and protect the environment.

    • H McCrillis 's avatar
      H McCrillis 2/28/2025 12:15 AM
      • 28-DAY STREAK
      This is true, sadly. :(

      Perhaps a filling station for reusable bottles could be a long term solution.

  • Vivien Fowler's avatar
    Vivien Fowler 2/26/2025 3:13 PM
    This plastic-free challenge has been interesting and going well for my family and I so far because we try to encourage and motivate each other to adapting a safer, plastic-free cleaning routines around our house.

  • Vivien Fowler's avatar
    Vivien Fowler 2/26/2025 3:12 PM
    This plastic-free challenge has been interesting and going well for my family and I so far because we try to encourage and motivate each other to adapting a safer, plastic-free cleaning routines around our house.

  • Vivien Fowler's avatar
    Vivien Fowler 2/25/2025 3:30 PM
    I am currently reading a book on "How I kicked the Plastic Habit and You Can Too" by Beth Terry

  • Vivien Fowler's avatar
    Vivien Fowler 2/24/2025 5:08 PM
    Today I connected with friends from overseas regarding plastic-free challenge and progress to-date.

  • Vivien Fowler's avatar
    Vivien Fowler 2/23/2025 10:51 AM
    Today my hubby and I are cleaning the basement to sort, organize, and reduce or get rid of plastic items.

  • Vivien Fowler's avatar
    Vivien Fowler 2/22/2025 1:51 PM
    It's great when I can share, encourage and motivate some of my family members and friends to reduce and/or recycle daily plastic usage.

  • Vivien Fowler's avatar
    Vivien Fowler 2/21/2025 4:49 PM
    I like getting ideas and tips from the team from avoiding plastics while dining out, changing how my family and I shop, to upcoming plastic-free events, Thank you.

  • Vivien Fowler's avatar
    Vivien Fowler 2/21/2025 2:26 AM
    One of our family plastic-free challenge goals is to stop buying plastic water bottles and learning how to shop in bulk.

    • Amanda Eames's avatar
      Amanda Eames 2/21/2025 7:13 AM
      Nice! The bulk bins at Lakewinds and Linden Hills Coop are great. It can be intimidating at first, but it's fun to walk through and look at all the options. My favorite are spices. You can purchase a small amount for those one-off recipes and often at a better price that the large bottles. When my kids were little, their favorite things was being in charge of weighing the purchases and printing out the price ticket.