Brooke Hayes

Today, I completed my one-time challenge of watching a documentary film about food with my husband and my brother. We watched Just Eat It. Initial reaction: Wow. Also, I want to try dumpster diving for groceries. 

I am proud to announce that I biked yesterday! It was a chilly rainy day. <45 degrees out when I was riding home, but I found that I still enjoyed my ride! Also, I used online weather radar to time my ride to miss the rain. 

Today will make 4 days out of the week that I have biked. 
 
When I started bringing my bike to work at the beginning of October, I got a few questions... most people assumed my motorized transportation was broken. I explained that I enjoy the exercise and the fresh air, and tried to explain that my bike works just fine for a 4 mile commute. Those days, we were having gorgeous weather, so they took my answers. Now, however, with dark skies and chilly winds, I am getting very different reactions. Here's two from today: 
 
Someone was outside for a smoke break, while I was rolling my bike to its spot by the fence. 
"Your husband drops you off with your bike so you can ride home in the rain! What a gentleman!" (dripping with sarcasm) 
I didn't feel like engaging him, so I just said "Good morning, Tom" and went inside. 
 
Someone else, who has a cube near mine: "Don't tell me you rode your bike to work in the rain today!" 
"No, I didn't ride this morning, but I will be riding it home!" 
I tried to show my excitement... to let him know it isn't the torture he thinks it is... but all I got was an eye roll as turned into his cubicle. 
 
Sigh. I wish the naysayers would keep their negativity to themselves. I genuinely enjoy riding my bike on every day that I do it (or else I wouldn't do it). 
 
All kinds of people justify 30min-1hr commutes with "It helps me decompress after work." How is that a good enough to justify an hour-long commute in a gas-guzzling pick-up truck, but not good enough to justify my 20-minute bike ride? 
 
Also, how can I get these guys to understand that I'm NOT torturing myself, I'm actually increasing my happiness, my fitness, my efficiency, and my bank account. 

No bike-commuting today or yesterday due to the rain  (also my sore rear end). It is unlikely that I'll bike anywhere on Saturday either, because I will be travelling ~50 miles to help put on a friend's wedding shower. I did not think about weekends when I set my challenge! We bike to church on Sundays, but I will have to continue to look for ways to bike more and drive less. 

GuYs! I made it home from work in 15 minutes today! I was really booking it, and I didn't have to stop for traffic at any of the spots I normally do. I'm gaining confidence and riding in the road almost the whole way. My legs are going to be Oh So Sore, but it was a great ride!

Hi friends! I am excited that the official Challenge starts today!!! I think I'm ready! 
I started out with biking home from work 2 days a week... and then 3 days the next week... and I biked home from work 4 days this week. 
One key to success (for me) is to pack extra afternoon snacks so I am not hungry while I bike - because that is no fun :)
Good Luck everyone, and Happy Friday!

Hi friends!

I added a couple more challenges the other day! I am using this EcoChallenge as an incentive to do some things that I have wanted to do, but not yet prioritized. I have heard about different food documentaries, but I have not ever sat down and watched one. Does anyone have a suggestion of a good documentary film about the food industry? I would like to learn, but I am not looking for a horror film.

I also added a commitment to not accept any disposable bags when making purchases. I used to be better about this, but now since I know I can recycle plastic bags at Target, I am not as good about bringing my reusable ones! It is a shame, because the energy and resources used to create the bag... and then to recycle it... are not worth the convenience it provides. My husband and I just talked about going shopping this month to get him some new clothes for an internship... a perfect opportunity to get back into the habit of remembering my reusable bags.

Also, since my bike ride is right around 20 minutes, I added an "excercise daily for 20 minutes per day" challenge. When I have a weak moment and think to myself, "This biking thing is tiring. Four miles in a car isn't really that much of an impact...", I will remind myself that I also bike for my health! Why sit on my tush in a car, when I can get a little exercise while also transporting myself from work to home.

That is all for now.
Brooke Hayes

I rode my bicycle home from work on Monday and Tuesday. Both days, I stopped for a quick chat with a friend that I ran into on my way. In a car, that would be a honk and a wave. So far, I love bicycle commuting :)

I practiced commuting to work today (Sunday). It is a nice ride, but I'm not looking forward to the weekday traffic.