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Mary Ann Knox's avatar

Mary Ann Knox

Community Team

POINTS TOTAL

  • 40 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 173 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    2.0
    zero-waste meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    0.5
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    0.5
    pounds
    waste recycled
  • UP TO
    25
    minutes
    spent learning

Mary Ann's actions

Plastics 101

Estimate Your Plastic Footprint

I will complete a plastic consumption calculator to learn about my plastic footprint.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Plastics 101

Recycle Plastic Bags

Instead of trashing them, I will recycle 1 plastic bags per day bringing them to a drop-off or special pickup

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Food

Swap the Snacks

I will swap 2 prepackaged snacks for unpackaged fruits or veggies or homemade or bulk items each time we need more.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Participant Feed


  • Mary Ann Knox's avatar
    Mary Ann Knox 2/15/2026 2:29 PM
    I'm remodeling my kitchen. Tore down to studs. House is 115 years old, no insulation... Just insulated the walls and around the windows!

  • Mary Ann Knox's avatar
    Mary Ann Knox 2/09/2026 10:01 AM
    I'm slow to start because of crazy schedule, but here now! I am passionate about plastic and have thought I do OK without a lot of it -- but always looking for tips and ideas to be better. I did the plastic use calculator, very interesting -- I shared it to my FB feed to try to encourage my friends.

  • Mary Ann Knox's avatar
    Mary Ann Knox 2/09/2026 9:58 AM
    Plastic bags -- the bane of our existence! If I end up with them in my house, I always use those for kitchen garbage. I never buy a box of garbage bags. Since I signed up for Ridwell, I sleep better, giving them my plastic bags to recycle and reuse.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Plastics 101
    What did you find out about your plastic consumption by using the calculator? What did or didn't surprise you?

    Mary Ann Knox's avatar
    Mary Ann Knox 2/09/2026 9:55 AM
    My number is low-ish, but I need to be better. I realize my hardest thing is the grocery store. Yogurt containers, bread bags. I need to start making more of these things at home in my own containers. But hard to find time. So much of grocery packaging is bad -- milk cartons, refrig. and freezer cartons ...I never use the fresh vegs plastic bags or the store paper/plastic packing bags (bring my own). But meat tray/plastic is unavoidable (remember when it used to be butcher paper?). Bakery items could be better-wrapped. I, of course, recycle plastic from my home, but it seems impossible to eliminate it.

    • Layl McDill's avatar
      Layl McDill 2/09/2026 3:41 PM
      If you want to learn about making yogurt I'm offering a Zoom tutorial through Art to Change the World next Monday at 6:00. I've only been making yogurt for a year but I have learned a lot (usually the hard way!). Here is a link with more info: https://www.arttochangetheworld.org/acws-cabin-fever-reliever/
      Hope you can join in! I love never buying yogurt in plastic containers!!