Claudia Kern

UUCUV Eco-Challenge Team

Points Total

0 Today
0 This Week
406 Total

Participant Impact

up to

49

conversations

with people
up to

90

minutes

spent learning
up to

10

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Claudia's Actions

Food

Keep Track of Wasted Food

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during the EcoChallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

#47 Bioplastic

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

Completed
One-Time Action

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 49 friends, family and/or colleagues.

Completed
One-Time Action

Feed

Reflection Question
Food Keep Track of Wasted Food

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. Where would you rather use this money?

Claudia Kern 4/13/2019 4:33 AM

To me the point is not so much the money as it is the morality of wasting food with all the hidden costs it embodies - labor, transportation, even the life of an animal. If I didn't waste food, I could make more choices for organic foods.

As Phil and I age, we are eating less, but the ex-caterer in me, still is habituated to big-batch cooking; so often there are dribbles and drabbles in my fridge that don't get eaten. This challenge is making me pretty creative in adding little bits to other things I am cooking.

Yesterday I had to throw away a small bit of ricotta cheese that was left in its container. It was SMELLY eventhough it had not passed the expiration date. I downloaded a 10-Minute Fridge Reality Check sheet to go through my fridge. You can find it here: www.StopFoodWaste.org

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Reflection Question
Food Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

Claudia Kern 4/08/2019 7:28 AM

Less tempted to toss out things I think might be questionable, especially canned products.

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