Enviro-Learning

Just installed a manually rotating composting bin in the backyard along side the raised bed vegetable gardens.  A neighbor was going to throw it out.

Peppers. We pickled peppers for the first time and they have turned out great! Spicy, but great. I definitely want to continue pickling and saving produce that we are able to grow in our backyard.

Good news, everyone! There are some easy points up for grabs!! Watch the PBS documentary (1st option under the "Learn More" tab) in the Food Action about Food Sovereignty. A fascinating series of interviews and and interesting look at food supplies for another group of people. Good luck this week! -Allan

Bring clothe towels and napkins to work. Everything here is paper towels. To reduce my footprint, I should start packing napkins and hand towels to use here throughout the day. (I ended up doing this challenge while I am completing the "Trash Audit" challenge. Since my goal was to do the "Trash Audit" throughout the whole...

I tried to take this challenge one step further. Recently, I played around with turning on and off the water during the showers. Essentially, I am running the water only when I need to rinse off. This drastically reduces the amount of time you are running the water. For example, tonight my shower was 4 min 34 sec. However, the water was...

It became a lot easier when a friend gifted me a small reusable glass/silicone coffee mug. I think honestly the biggest barrier for doing this is remembering to bring it with me when I go! Convenience is key when making more impactful choices, and I just need to keep it on me (and cleaned) more regularly to make this a sustained (and...

I actually had no idea that powering my computer down was an important step, so I'm glad to know that now. I do typically keep power-sucking things unplugged when not in use, but I can always try to be more thoughtful about light switches. I'm going to try to only turn the lights on when daylight is no longer sufficient--at least in the shared...

Still trying to figure out what Actions to set up, and when to do a "done that" selection.  While we are working some of these already, this is a great reminder.

In fact, I am new to composting. Thankfully, the home we just bought has the beginning of a compost pile in the backyard, so I have been able to use that. But, I acknowledge that I should do some more research on best practices.  Also, ever since we began composting in Portland (via city compost), our trash output has plummeted. It was...

Also, so that others can keep me accountable, I will be composing my trash audit on the following Google Sheet. This sheet will keep a running log of all my trash. In addition, I will work to post a picture at the end of the EcoChallenge of all the trash items that I could safely collect.  Please feel free to keep me accountable on these...