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Lisa Hirst Carnes's avatar

Lisa Hirst Carnes

ArcStone

"To be a good steward of the Earth by choosing thoughtfully, consuming less, repairing more, supporting ethical production, and honoring the full life cycle of the things I use."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 539 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    30
    zero-waste meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    6.0
    advocacy actions
    completed
  • UP TO
    65
    minutes
    spent learning

Lisa's actions

Community

Support a Sharing Economy

I will support the sharing economy by joining a community tool exchange, toy library, or buy nothing group.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

SUPPORT BUSINESSES PARTICIPATING IN MNIMIZE

MNimize works to reduce single-use plastic at food service businesses. I will visit a participating location or tell a business I frequent about the resources available to them.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Swap the Snacks

I will swap 5 prepackaged snacks for unpackaged fruits or veggies or homemade or bulk items each time we need more.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

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 6
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. 

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Plastics 101

Learn about bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastic

I will learn about what different descriptions and marketing terms mean when used on plastics.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed


  • Lisa Hirst Carnes's avatar
    Lisa Hirst Carnes 2/27/2026 8:49 AM
    I cleaned out the fridge this morning. Less waste! Less plastic, more recycled condiment bottles with the caps on.

  • Lisa Hirst Carnes's avatar
    Lisa Hirst Carnes 2/27/2026 8:46 AM
    This year’s Plastic-Free Challenge has felt harder than usual. A handful of personal matters demanded my time and energy, and I didn’t show up to it the way I had hoped.

    But this morning, as I carried out the recycling and compost, I was reminded that this isn’t just a one-month effort, it’s a permanent way of living. Each time I participate alongside others, even imperfectly, my commitment deepens and my resolve grows stronger.

  • Lisa Hirst Carnes's avatar
    Lisa Hirst Carnes 2/16/2026 11:19 AM
    It's a beautiful day here in Minneapolis. I'm planning on taking a few minutes after work today to clean up the garbage on my block. Enjoy the sunshiny warmth and making the block more beautiful = win/win.

    • Julie DURR's avatar
      Julie DURR 2/16/2026 1:05 PM
      Yes, this would be a great day to do some yard clean up. You can't beat 51 degrees in mid February.

  • Lisa Hirst Carnes's avatar
    Lisa Hirst Carnes 2/15/2026 3:01 PM
    If you're looking, there are lots of plastic-free options!

  • Lisa Hirst Carnes's avatar
    Lisa Hirst Carnes 2/10/2026 3:14 PM
    Reflection from last night - As a commitment to waste less food, I did the ol' throw all of the veggies you have on a sheet pan season with salt, pepper, toss in olive oil and roast the heck out of them. Popped some feta on the pan to provide a little creamy fat and tossed it with Banza pasta. Delicious, used all of the food, and healthy! Score!

  • Lisa Hirst Carnes's avatar
    Lisa Hirst Carnes 2/08/2026 6:28 PM
    We got Rainbow Chinese last night. FYI - their take out boxes are compostable. :)

  • Lisa Hirst Carnes's avatar
    Lisa Hirst Carnes 2/08/2026 5:19 PM
    Slightly unrelated to this challenge, but similar vibe. One of my New Year's Resolutions is to make a better effort to fix stuff that's broken, ripped, etc. Recently I sent our coffee machine out to get serviced and we just got it back and it looks and makes coffee like it's brand new. I also ordered some wool fabric from Pendleton to fix a beautiful wool blanket that got eaten by our dog. Repairs for the win!

  • Lisa Hirst Carnes's avatar
    Lisa Hirst Carnes 2/07/2026 7:51 AM
    Getting set to shop at a new (to me) store in my neighborhood—Marissa's Supermarket. My list is focused on slow, homemade, nourishing food, that's not wrapped in plastic.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community
    How else can you advocate for businesses to reduce their plastic use?

    Lisa Hirst Carnes's avatar
    Lisa Hirst Carnes 2/06/2026 1:31 PM
    I was thrilled to see some of my favorite (and frequent) places on this list–including Curioso Coffee, Nightingale, Barbette. I also tried Francis Burger Joint earlier this week. There are definitely places I've designated as in-person only because of their togo/delivery packaging.

  • Lisa Hirst Carnes's avatar
    Lisa Hirst Carnes 2/06/2026 1:28 PM
    So far, the challenge is going okay. I've been busy with a bunch of other stuff and feel like I haven't had much time to dive deep on my actions. The month just started though so...

    • Lily Keire's avatar
      Lily Keire 2/07/2026 5:03 AM
      Yes, it's a lot! I am circling back to take a deeper dive into my habits, and that's working for me.