I have had a life changing experience I now drink water daily when I didn’t drink water other then taking meds. I am more aware of foods as well as cautious of non bio-degradable materials

Meat reduction has been a success that I am actually starting to see really good changes on my body like losing weight and feeling more energized.

Because of midterms and college applications I haven't been posting as many updates! But here we are!
As we are concluding these challenges, I can say I have met everyone on my street, and even people who just come here to walk their dog. I feel a lot more confident talking to strangers than I did before; breaking out of my mold of being an introverted person. My plants are still alive, thankfully, and I do see a lot more bees buzzing around the garden area, which is a sign that my plants are doing their job! Practice has become habit, I instinctively know when my 5 minutes are up in the shower, and it's time to get out, to add even more to this, my water bill has gone down immensely. I have continued with complimenting myself daily, seeing the good in myself, as opposed to criticizing myself to shreds; gotta say, you are your best friend, what you tell yourself definitely becomes reality. I told myself that I'm capable, reliable, and I get what I want...it's paying off, I'm definitely kicking some a$$. But my favorite part from these challenges is reconnecting with someone who you haven't spoke to by writing them a small note, appreciating their existence. I have seen so many emotional moments that I wouldn't have got if it weren't for this one challenge. ANYWAY I'm done rambling!!! Here's a summary of what I got out of this so far!
Conclusion:
- Saving more water through new habits
-Being active and tuning into the people around you, as opposed to tuning into yourself
-Live in the moment
-Find a love for gardening, because without plants the world would be empty....literally
-love YOU, YOU are who you come to life with, YOU are who you live with, YOU are who you sleep with, YOU will save yourself, YOU will be your hero, and in the end YOU will end with yourself...so appreciate yourself daily
-Hit up that friend of yours or person you have strayed away from and let them know you still love them even if the distance has become a bridge in your relationship 

Today, I finally got around to doing my last EcoChallenge: researching urban foraging options. Mapping out urban fruit trees in our neighborhood is something my daughter and I have done for fun in the past, so it was very cool to see that there is an actual map where I can locate edible plants and trees in my neighborhood! https://fallingfruit.org/.  Yum! 

These last two weeks of EcoChallenge have coincided with 2 very tough weeks for me, and so I have felt especially grateful for the gratitude practice and nature gratitude practice I signed up for. What a difference it makes to just even stop for a moment appreciating life.