Then last week, I had a "retreat" with the FS Foundation that I work for https://fsfdn.org/ in Louisville, Kentucky, with lodging in New Albany, Indiana. These were my first flights since Sep 2019. Zero Waste, it wasn't. We met Louisville Grows https://louisvillegrows.org and toured the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest  https://bernheim.org These are great nonprofits!

Since this challenge started, I drove from Minneapolis to Ames, Iowa, to stay with my dad to take him to Des Moines to get a replacement aortic heart valve. He received the valve through a blood vessel in his groin on May 5. Within four hours, he noticed further improvement in his health than he thought was possible! So - maybe this has distracted me from Zero Waste, but it's likely he'll live a lot longer now!

Our garbage bin isn't usually as full as our recycling bin.  That still means our family is creating way too much garbage.  Any general ideas on how to reduce recycling waste as well?

I'm trying something new today - reducing the amount of food waste from cooking.  I made stewed apples today and found out I could freeze the peel and use it in smoothies.  I am going to try and find other uses for the odds and ends for the veggies and fruits I eat.  I could probably take orange rinds and make my own orange peel seasoning.  Same with lemon rinds.

We have reusable containers and silicone baggies at home to reduce waste.  However, there is always something that just needs to be wrapped in foil or plastic wrap, like bacon.  I was going to try beeswax wraps like this: https://www.amazon.com/Bees-Wrap-Assorted-Sustainable-Alternative/dp/B0126LMDFK.  Anybody have any experience with them?

I'm trying to use Imperfect Foods to save on bags - they ship in boxes and don't use any bags for the fruits and vegetables (unless they are berries).  They also pick up ice packs and boxes the next week to reuse/recycle.  Most of the food is "upcycled" or would otherwise be thrown out: https://www.imperfectfoods.com/

Learning some interesting things going through this challenge - how about you?

I made soup from scratch for lunch and dinner today, and discovered how little waste I generated,  Potatoes and onions already have packaging with their own skins, which went right into the compost bin.  The chicken stock was freshly made from some chicken bones and celery and green ends. The stock remains had to go in the garbage, but at least it will compose a lot quicker than a box!

Anyone know how to change daily actions without losing points?  Some of them aren't really daily for me, like buying bulk.  I only go to the grocery store once/week.  Same with learning about recycling centers - can only do that so much!