My challenge is going great! I was a vegetarian for 9 years previously, and I thought that going meatless again would be really challenging. Apparently it is much easier to go back to those old dietary habits than I thought! I often cook with my parents or other family, ad it is great to see that they are eating less meat now too.

This week my goals that had to do with the outdoors went well because of the weather. The goals that involved water didn't go as well, I found myself forgetting to do the little things. 

Instead of using tortillas to make tacos, I made a cornbread topping for a Mexican-type casserole.  This made it cheaper and with (nearly) zero packaging waste.  The beans came from a re-fillable bulk container, the cornmeal from a big bag, eggs from a local farmer, and peppers from my garden. Ok, so the milk did come from a plastic jug, but I always buy  a full gallon and usually try to reuse the jug for projects or watering.  Recycling is my last resort.

I've been avoiding plastic straws and plastic lids for cups and also reusing plastic silverware whenever I eat or drink anything. It was quite the change at first but I'm definitely getting used to it and making a habit. Sometimes there are times where I really wish I had a lid for my drinks but I guess it's worth it considering the impact plastic has on the oceans.

My challenge very going very well. I selected two challenges, one of which I was more familiar with, the other I anticipated to be more challenging. My first goal was to meditate for 20 minutes each day, and I decided to break that down in to two ten minute sessions. This really helped me make the most of this challenge by getting the benefits of meditating twice a day. I cannot stress enough how open it made my mind feel, just to take the time and clear away the mental clutter and achieve some clarity. The second challenge is attempted was to eat my meals without going on my phone or watching TV. This was more straightforward but more difficult for me, and took some mental discipline. Overall, the Ecochallenge has helped me to broaden my horizons in multiple areas and is going really well.   

My challenge is going well, accept it is more challenging than I thought it would be. Pretty much once a day I have one meal without meat. This really makes me think about what I put into my body. It changes the way I eat sandwiches, like without ham or salami. I also have to make sure I get a vegetarian marinara sauce for my pasta instead of the normal one with meat. I think that this is a good way to make a small impact in the production of meat, and I want to continue to do this after the EcoChallenge is over. 

For my eco-challenge, I chose to reduce my shower time from 10 minutes to 5 minutes. When I first started this challenge, it was quite difficult considering that I had become so accustomed to taking longer showers. After about a week, it became a habit. What I found that helps with this challenge is if I take a shower at night versus taking one in the morning. By taking a shower at night instead of the morning, I'm far more motivated to complete the challenge. I think that by starting this eco-challenge, it will continue to be a routine even after the challenge ends.