I did it! I opted out of junk mail today!! 
And I remembered I donated a 12-pack of tuna to the Tour of Untimely Departures Halloween collection, which benefits the Oregon Food Bank, so I think that counts as connecting with a non-profit. Yay!

This challenge has been rewarding and inspiring in many ways. The easiest and most consistent action was the most tangible one - turning off my computer each night instead of simply putting it to sleep. I only missed one night and that is because my husband had turned it on and used it and I hadn't so didn't know it needed to be turned off. Still, I'd say this habit is here to stay. I didn't choose turning lights off as a challenge because we do it fairly regularly in our house but turning the computer off has made me more vigilant about lights getting turned off when no one is in the room. The most difficult challenge was getting additional minutes of sleep each night. 90 minutes is a lot and getting to bed before 11:30 turns out to be quite difficult for me although I would really love to. I will continue to work on that one though - EcoChallenge or not! I chose to focus on my health in this EcoChallenge in 2 other ways - making an annual physical appointment (which I did today finally! - gotta love deadlines) and by practicing gratefulness. I didn't necessarily write 3 things I am grateful for each day but I got pretty close. Again, this is a practice I will continue - to be mindful of and grateful for those I know, that which I've experienced and the incredible elements that make up this world. And to speak my gratefulness as well. 

This has been a lot of fun... I really have gotten the hang of not using paper towels and my showers are much shorter.  Here't to moving forward and learning and doing more to help our environment!!!

Last Sunday I went hiking in the gorge. I forgot my bag to collect litter. Thankfully, I didn't find a whole lot (but any is too much), so I was able to stash it in my backpack. Several energy bar wrappers, a water bottle, a couple plastic bags (empty), and a small stash of beer cans. I didn't take any pics of the garbage, but I did take this pic of McCord Creek at the bottom of Elowah Falls.

Challenge is complete but I plan to stay mindful of water usage and food waste.

 I'm  definitely ready to continue composting after holding myself accountable for  the past 2 weeks!

 I'm  definitely ready to continue composting after holding myself accountable for  the past 2 weeks!

Getting the hang of this. Thanks EcoChallenge for giving me the excuse to organize myself!

Composting also helps keep the trash in the kitchen free of odors - bonus!

I enjoyed some nature this past weekend out on the Wilson River Trail!