About No Waste Plant Based

My name is Mara Flynn and I'm a lifelong Bloomingtonian and vegetarian-turned-vegan. I hate disposable plastic, and I love cooking and sharing vegan food. I recently earned my Master of Environmental Sustainability degree from IU's O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Now I'm exploring ways to help people and the earth, via food and beyond.

The year after that, in my public speaking class, I gave a speech arguing for a ban on single-use plastic. I was already aware of the basics of plastic pollution, but what I learned while researching for the speech shocked me, and I stopped buying products that came in disposable plastic packaging. In doing so, I noticed how many of the foods I often bought, like sandwich bread and nondairy milk, were impossible to find in stores without packaging.

Over the next couple years, I cooked more and more and started making foods myself that I used to buy, including nut milk and peanut butter. I had ideas about selling meals and food staples to other college students as an alternative to packaging-heavy restaurant carryout and regular grocery store products, but I was too busy with school to develop these plans.

After graduation, I got serious about the project, gave it a name, and launched No Waste Plant Based at the beginning of 2021. I expanded the catalogue and in 2022, introduced weekly dinners for pickup.