15 days of grateful! I should also add that I'll be  grateful tomorrow when I can take a 6 minute shower. ;)

I ride my bike every single day to/from work and take the bus if I have to go to a meeting at corporate HQ. We are also closing down our garden for the season and just covered the beds with compost from our huge compost bin (which we built last year out of scrap wood) so it'll be full of worms for next year's garden. Since it's fall we don't have our thermostat on as the house is well insulated so stays around 68-70 degrees naturally without the need to use the furnace or fans. We have 2 rain barrels and 1 cistern that we use for rainwater collection to keep our garden watered during the dry season, and this year started raising honeybees. Our life is pretty darn eco-friendly as it is, so for the most part this challenge has been mostly about reminding ourselves to get out more in nature beyond our backyard garden, even in the rain :)

We are currently remodeling our kitchen, using zero-VOC paint & primer, ultra-low-VOC water-based stain & sealer to update our existing hardwood floors, and repurposed barn wood from SalvageWorks to build our countertops. Our old cupboard fronts and drawers were donated to The Rebuilding Center, with the rest of the wood waste going to a construction waste recycler. 

The timing for this challenge couldn't be better...we are selling our home, and removing the clutter, donating items we don't use and preparing the house has been easier with a challenge behind it!

This has really made me more mindful to reflect on what I am grateful for and to thank/praise someone everyday. 

We are walking 1-2 hours every day on the beach while on vacation and cooking our own meals, saving our food waste rather than throwing it in the garbage and bringing it home with us along with our recycling that they don't already take care of onsite.

Nothing against a 5-minute shower, but finding three things I'm grateful for each day is THE BEST!

We are going on vacation to the coast and rather than driving back and forth from our motel into town to eat, we rented a place with a kitchen so that we can continue to cook our own homemade, organic meals (and save on gas, cut CO2, not to mention relax more!).

The 5-minute shower challenge helps me with my happiness challenge. I'm super thankful for hot water...if even for 5 minutes. :)

Also if in NoPo - "buy nothing" Facebook group. Amazing.