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Welcome to Stop Food Waste Challenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Stop Food Waste Challenge expert in no time!

Hennepin County | Ramsey County | Washington County
Stop Food Waste Challenge
August 1 - August 31, 2025
Jessica Nyaribo's avatar

Jessica Nyaribo

Environmental & Energy Department

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 226 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    13
    zero-waste meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    5.0
    advocacy actions
    completed
  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    18
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    9.3
    pounds
    food waste prevented
  • UP TO
    1.0
    conversation
    with a person

Jessica's actions

Planning

Sign up for Fridge Check Fridays

I will sign up for Fridge Check Friday emails, sent by Hennepin County but open to everyone, to prompt me to check my fridge for food that needs to be used up and for hacks on storing food to keep it fresh.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Planning

Create a Weekly Meal Plan

I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu of meals and ingredients for my household of 3.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Kids

Talk About Wasting Food

I will have a discussion with my 1 children about the importance of not wasting food.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Planning

Plan a Leftovers Day

I will plan a meal to use up leftovers by creating a tasty smorgasbord or using a recipe that repurposes them.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Kids

Get Involved in the Kitchen

I will involve my 1 children in meal planning, prepping and cooking activities.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Get Social

I will share information about food waste and the actions that I am taking on social media.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Watch a Documentary About Food

I will watch 1 videos or documentaries to learn about the scope and scale of food waste in this country.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Order Half-Portions or Share Meals

I will ask for half-portions options or share an entrée when eating out to minimize food waste.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Community

Send it Down the Grape Vine

I will talk to 5 family members or friends about my experience with this challenge, food waste, and what I have learned.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

  • Jessica Nyaribo's avatar
    Jessica Nyaribo 8/28/2025 9:08 AM
    Involved my daughter in the kitchen and she has to prepare her school lunch for the days she doesn't eat lunch at school.
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    • Ash Kephart's avatar
      Ash Kephart 8/28/2025 10:48 AM
      I liked preparing my own lunches and coming up with different combinations.
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  • Jessica Nyaribo's avatar
    Jessica Nyaribo 8/22/2025 9:36 AM
    Watched a 10-minute documentary on food waste on YouTube: Food Waste causes Climate Change. Here's how we stop it. Short and direct to the point.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community
    Have you ever thought about food going to waste on this scale before?
    Jessica Nyaribo's avatar
    Jessica Nyaribo 8/20/2025 2:13 PM
    Watched a YouTube food waste documentary from New Zealand: The Community Rescuing Food Waste From Landfill to Make Beautiful Compost | Ben & bEartha Interesting perspective and program implementation especially as it was more community focused as the towns are scattered far and wide. Loved the full circle from Homes/Businesses to community energy and engagement and final use of end product by local landscaper.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Kids
    Share about a successful planning or cooking activity you have done as a family!
    Jessica Nyaribo's avatar
    Jessica Nyaribo 8/20/2025 10:40 AM
    It was for dinner. She chopped the tomatoes, bell-peppers, onions and avocado. She washed the lettuce and chopped boiled eggs, and we had some tacos for dinner.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Planning
    What kinds of foods do you like to eat as leftovers? If you or your household members don't like eating leftovers, are there any foods you would be more willing to try than others?
    Jessica Nyaribo's avatar
    Jessica Nyaribo 8/20/2025 10:38 AM
    The foods include sweet potatoes, roasted beef and roasted chicken. I make some rice or use it in a salad as this minimizes time used to cook and saves money.
    Read More
  • Jessica Nyaribo's avatar
    Jessica Nyaribo 8/11/2025 2:15 PM
    Shared on the importance of not wasting food with new mothers at the World Breastfeeding Week celebration whilst tabling at the North Memorial Hospital in Maple Grove.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Planning
    What have you found out since you started taking an inventory of your fridge before shopping?
    Jessica Nyaribo's avatar
    Jessica Nyaribo 8/11/2025 2:13 PM
    I have realized that the tips are a good reminder to shop less and use what we have in the fridge first for planning meals.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Planning
    An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Does this surprise you? Where would you rather use this money? How has meal planning helped you avoid waste?
    Jessica Nyaribo's avatar
    Jessica Nyaribo 8/11/2025 2:08 PM
    I helped meal plan for a weekend camping with 15 total attendees. We saved money by buying some produce from local farmers and reusing left-over food for simple meals towards the end of camping.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Kids
    How did your conversation go? What kinds of things did your children ask about or find important?
    Jessica Nyaribo's avatar
    Jessica Nyaribo 8/11/2025 2:04 PM
    Had conversation that we need to eat food and plan out for it before we buy some more. This was because some peas that had been boiled were not eaten in time and had to be thrown out.
    Read More