Northwest Housing Alternatives

Plastic bags are everywhere, and I use a lot of them.  I do reuse Ziploc bags, but I never think to take my own containers when buying in bulk.  Now that I've started noticing how many bags I use, though, I will work to find reusable containers I can take instead.

Taking a hike with my husband or a friend, meeting at a park instead of a cafe or pub, walking to nearby locations rather than driving.

I wondered if I was addicted to sugar but didn't know for sure.  The answer is "probably."  I do a good job of avoiding sneaky added sugars in general, but I love dessert and eat it every single day.  There have been some cravings.

Rather than buying an existing product, I filled two old water bottles and put them in the back of the toilet tank, saving water each time we flush at home. We also abide by the "if it's yellow, let it mellow" rule, reducing water consumption further. Kind of gross but effective!

Maybe it's because I know that this is the last week of the challenge, but the whole no-sugar thing suddenly got a lot easier this week.  I'm not even craving chocolate!  I don't think avoiding all refined sugar is practical in the long term--it just takes too much planning and life gets in the way--but eating less of it certainly seems feasible.

Whoo hooo! Almost there!!!

Being a type 1 diabetic, I always have to be careful to think about my overall health. A lot of the activities I must engage in to maintain my personal health have a side benefit of being environmentally friendly, like walking and biking instead of driving places. Some other parts are more difficult and less environmentally friendly; meat is a...

My one-time goal was to learn about a new food prep technique.  Since I'm avoiding refined sugar as one of my daily goals, I decided to learn about cooking without sugar.  I've made pasta sauce using carrots and red bell peppers to add a touch of sweetness, soy-and-fruit smoothies, and potato-rosemary bread.  Have also experimented with using...

I am really enjoying this!

It is so much easier for me to turn my computer off each night when I leave work now that I have a new one! Turning it on and opening Outlook previously took over 7-8 minutes each morning, time which I did not want to take each day. Now that my computer turns on and opens programs quickly, it's so much easier for me to be environmentally...