Hopefully Hennepin County will be having its eight month Zero Waste Challenge in 2025. It’s normally open to up to 50 applicants. There’s one-on-one support via liaisons that check on applicants’ progress while offering tips and support. Participants also complete a workbook with a personalized waste reduction program, check in with teleconferencing, attend waste reduction workshops, receive a digital crane scale to weigh items such as trash bags, paper bags that hold recycling and organic recycling, cardboard boxes, and so forth. Note: Yard bags and other yard waste are excluded. Participants also receive bi-weekly newsletters with tips on waste reduction.
Participants do meet in person in Autumn to learn more about the event, meet other participants and their liaisons, and have a chance to ask questions. There’s another in person event in Spring when the certificate of completion (the back page of the workbook) is signed by the liaison and the coordinator. I embellished mine with Peanuts graduation stickers.
Yesterday was canned soup night. Mom had baked potato and I had clam chowder. I also bought BPI bags.
I am grateful to have completed this challenge with all of you. 🫡. Let us continue to use the lessons we learned and actions we have taken to reduce food and other waste in our counties.
Canned soup night sounds cozy and resourceful 🥔🥣 -- and BPI bags are such a smart step toward reducing waste 🌱♻️.
I’m also so grateful to have shared this challenge with everyone 🙏💚. The lessons and habits we’ve built together will keep making an impact far beyond these days. 🌎✨ Here’s to carrying this spirit forward in our homes and communities! 🌿🤝
I’ve been having a snack before shopping this month and my bills have gone down. I’ve also been more aware of what I’ve had in my pantry and fridge because of the challenge, so I don’t know how much it is helping. I’ll definitely continue doing it. I bought some bars that I only eat before I shop.
Picked up waffles and chicken wings from Wendy’s House of Soul at North Market. 4414 Humboldt Ave N. (612) 800 - 4535. Mom seemed to like the waffle, so next time hopefully one of us will remember to order fruit on top of it.
I also had a hot chocolate at The Get Down Coffee Company. Unsure if I could had brought it into North Market if I would had eaten brunch there, though.
And I just found out Get Down Coffee is no longer on Facebook. Their address is 1500 North 44th Avenue. They could really use a crosswalk and a traffic light on that corner. 🚦
The rest of what we ordered from Leeann Chin’s was an imperial plate for Mom. She ordered three cream cheese puffs and orange chicken. I have no idea why the orange chicken doesn’t also have slices on it. 🤷🏻. We also ordered six cream cheese puffs, two egg rolls and two rice crispy bars.
Actually Mom hasn’t ordered oranges in months, so I used the two lemon slices from an order of Leeann Chin’s lemon chicken to create a cleaner for the laundry room. 🍋🧺🫙
I'm looking forward to trying the orange-based cleaner that is infusing in my pantry. Do you want to bet I'll have the whole house organized before it's ready?
I married an Irishman but still have trouble getting through a bag of potatoes. We opt to buy loose potatoes in the amounts we need. If we need more, we'll go to the store.
Well, Mom ordered even more groceries. I wonder if she’s tiring of the pork, potatoes and sauerkraut since she asked me what I wanted from Lund’s and Byerlys deli. She chose the pot roast while I selected the turkey dinner - which I usually also have around Thanksgiving since Mom and Grandma tired of roasting one annually decades ago. 🦃. Mom’s still up to us picking up a roasted chicken during the holidays, however.
So possibly next time one of us will order BPI and yard bags. I think we still have enough kitchen trash bags. I use any single-use plastic bags to line the smaller cans.
Sharon Kephart 8/30/2025 3:18 PM
Ash Kephart 8/30/2025 3:22 PM
