i really enjoyed this challenge! it was helpful for me to have an event with very specific goals broken up in manageable ways... as opposed to me just saying in my mind... wow, there are all these things i'd like to work on but i don't know where to start and it feels a bit overwhelming : p thanks for making positive changes feel bit-sized and totally do-able! and fun! : D  

watched an interesting, eye-opening food documentary last week entitled "Fed Up".  i'd highly recommend viewing; it really layed out the spiderweb of connections between the food industry, the usda, the obesity epidemic, political agendas, sugar addictions, etc.    

i just read an article about how the air-cleaning effects of certain houseplants once "proven" to be top-notch purifiers is actually pretty negligible, even if you fill your house with them.  of course, this is right after i "do a bunch of research", get all excited bc hey, at least i can have clean indoor air when the outdoor days are considered "dirty",  and proceed to fill my house with them...  #thejokeisonme #ohwellstillnicetohavehouseplants #greeningmyinnerspace  

i will never be able to comprehend the extreme apathy of someone littering (like carelessly tossing a cigarette butt) no matter how many times i witness it; it just completely boggles my mind! what i really want to do is walk over, pick it up, and hand it back to them (or toss it back in their car!)... but i def don't have the guts... all i can do is stare in dumbfounded disbelief  : O  

driving around through city traffic this morning, i was reminded of how totally awesome it would be if pittsburgh had a much more extensive light rail/streetcar system... there used to be one! (my mom talks about how she would take the streetcar to school)...  i'd LOVE to be able to efficiently run my errands via mass transit... instead of all those single-person vehicles piled up and adding to the poor air quality : P 

another future challenge idea:  howsa bout a good, ol' fashioned litter clean-up project?  there are SO many streets/neighborhoods/waterways in and around pittsburgh that could benefit from this one.  lotsa random garbage floating around  : p  the more bags of trash you pick up... the more points!   

i think a challenge idea for future events could be a commitment to purchasing goods via secondhand routes only... like thrift stores, flea markets, garage sales, clothing swaps, online neighborhood "buy nothing" groups, etc... and i think purchasing clothing 2nd-hand could be its' own separate challenge! i get most of my wardrobe this way already, and i know it saves me a ton of money and is SO much easier on the environment. there are literally tons & tons of clothing/fabrics that end up in landfills every year  : (  

The challenge is going great! Big thanks to my sister, Nicole Schwenninger, for inviting me and my family! I've engaged my 3 kids kids and they're having a blast. My 4 year old, Leo, wore this shirt today and is super excited to be doing his part to save the planet :)

 

i really appreciate receiving speedy feedback and answers to my questions regarding this challenge as we've been going along!! it's nice to know someone is listening and that my input matters (i couldn't figure out how to directly respond to those responses though? lol) thank you bunches!! (esp hayden sloan and gina johnson <3) 

Flight attendant looked absolutely puzzled when I refused to give her my trash (daily challenge to carry all my trash). Would have been better not to accept the little flight granola bar, but alas, it was my food for the day. Also, first time buying carbon offset for a flight. Was super easy 😊👍👌