Green Challenge Twednesday

So, I’m a flake. Luckily for me, I can make up days and only be half flakey.

My ‘absence’ was party due to my workload and partly due to the fact that I’m stuuuuuck.

I haven’t made any revolutionary changes. In fact, I’m using MORE water bottles now because it was suggested that maybe my weight-loss was being limited by lack of water. And I’ve FINALLY got The Man to start drinking water. But we just can’t drink the tap water. See, Sunshine used a humidifier for a week and at the end of that week, the tray was half full of white GUNK that was filtered out of our water. I’m sure it’s mostly iron and calcium, but I don’t know for sure – so I won’t drink it. To remedy this, I’ve been looking into a water softener. It was between a water softener and a new refrigerator. But the water softener would benefit my tap water, showers, laundry, etc. Filtered water from the fridge would just benefit our drinking water. I’m having trouble finding information on this, though. Do you really have to call a plumber??

I did make one change: I built a compost.



(Well, I supervised…from the office.)

But this wouldn’t make a good challenge because not everyone is capable of having one.

If you are, here are some links with good info:

Ideal Bite
Be Jane
Master Composter
Composting Council of Canada

I’m really excited to have started this. I’ve wanted one for a long time but never took the initiative. I think we spent about $35 on the supplies (four stakes and a roll of plastic fencing). Hopefully it will be well worth it once it provides us with some hearty compost for my flowers. (I act like I’m a gardener…I really just buy the boxes of seeds and hope it comes out okay.) I’m already happy about the food scraps not sitting in my garbage. Especially when I buy heads of lettuce and throw almost half of them away (Oh! I can’t wait for summer and GOOD produce!).

If you are able to, I totally recommend starting one. It’s much easier than I thought it would be!

I think the biggest challenge I can offer you right now is for you to tell me one way you’ve made your life greener. Anything from recycling something new, using less water, less electricity, or buying eco-friendly cleaners.

(Btw, I bought Go Naked wipes from Method for my elliptical and Pink Grapefruit All Purpose Spray, also from Method, and LOVE them. A little pricey, but worth it! My savvy SIL will HAVE to let us know if she comes across any coupons!! Also for eco-friendly kitty litter, which I will be buying after reading this.)

Green Challenge #2

With meditation, the goal is not to relax. It is to become aware. You become aware of your breaths, sensations, thoughts and surroundings. Because what good is trying to change something you have no awareness of?

Similarly, the Buddhist percepts are studied by first becoming aware. Before you can say, “I will not lie” you have to know all the ways you lie in life. You have to study yourself and become aware of these things, only then you may decide how to change them.

When habits are changed by first becoming aware, then mindfully changing every aspect of that habit, they are bound to stick around.

This week, I challenge you to become aware of how much water you consume and how much is wasted. Bring awareness to the activities in which you waste water (mine is while doing dishes and wiping counters). Write it down if you have to. At the end of the week, take a look at all you observed. If you found that five minutes of your shower time is spent just standing there, or that you leave the water running while you wipe down the table, take that information and use it to mold your habits. Remind yourself every time to turn the water off when you aren’t directly using it.

I’ve been practicing this the past few weeks (it’s hard!) and I’m constantly catching myself letting it run and immediately turning it off. When I’m lingering in the shower ‘just because,’ I tell myself to get going with the day. It’s probably going to take a long time before I actually change my ways, but every little bit helps. Right now, I’m probably using about half to three-quarters of the water I (personally) was using before. I’ll let you know when I get my next water bill.

Other things you can do to save water:

~Use Gray Water. ~Read Ideal Bite’s shower tips. ~Check out these tips.

~As a bonus to the challenge, I also hope you will consider environmentally friendly cleaners the next time you are shopping for them. An apparent “Good Buy”? Method Cleaners.* I totally thought this was just the Target brand. I had NO IDEA that they were *special*. I am definitely going to try their all-purpose spray when I replace my Lysol next week!~

* Thank-you, Wanderer, for the recommendation and I’ll take all the tips you’ve got!

(Source)