I took this challenge one step further. I brushed my teeth with no water. The only water I would use was to rinse the brush at the end. 

Growing up, the boys in the family were allowed 3 minute showers so this challenge was very achievable! It was only a little bit difficult on the colder days this past month. 

IF IT'S YELLOW, LET IT MELLOW! 

This was difficult! Since starting work and grad school full time, I've hardly had any time for exercise. Also, for someone who worked out a minimum of 1 hour a day, almost evert day for years, I'm used to exercising being high intensity. So, to "pass" this challenge, I had to redefine what I considered exercise. This actually made it easier for me to set aside 30 minutes a day. I became a little more active than I had before by finding things to do inside my home like push-ups, or go hiking around my neighborhood.

I truly enjoyed this challenge. It actually helped build a stronger relationship with a few people in my life. 

At first, I thought this would be the easiest challenge since I had always assumed I was pretty aware of conserving energy like keeping the lights off when not in a room. This challenge really exposed how inconsistent I was before. I'll definitely much more conscious of these things in the future. 

At first I wasn't sure how I was going to approach this challenge. When thinking about helping someone, I tend to associate it with doing something really time consuming, or at least something I would consider a big favor. I realized, though, that the "level" of help can't be defined by the person giving, it's defined by the person receiving. For example, it may not have been much for me to give some clothes or water or food to a homeless person, but that person might've thought it a grand gesture. Or, taking a few extra minutes during my busy schedule to listen to a random person's story. 

This was probably my favorite challenge of the 2016 eco-challenge. 

Been toting around my trash since Friday. So far, still fits in my purse. I'm bringing my trash to residency this coming week. Should be fun going through air port security with it.

Woah I have a lot of challenges! I am feeling inspired and ambitious. Looking forward to tracking these goals alongside our team : )

When I combine my goals, my diet for 2 weeks will be: vegetarian, whole foods only, no refined sugar and I will eat mindfully. How ideal. It sounds wonderful!  I'm ready for the challenge. 

I am looking forward to the "Buy only what I need" challenge. One year, I made a New Year's resolution to not buy anything I didn't need for three months. It was extremely liberating.

Some of the challenges I typically already practice such as, brushing my teeth without keeping the water running, or taking roughly 5 minute showers. I will continue to focus on these efforts, but be more strict with timing. I'll also add, only keeping the water running in the shower when rinsing. 

Some of the other challenges will be a bit more difficult such as saying no to seafood (love sushi!), or even helping one person a day. With working full time and going to school full time, I know I'll have to make a conscious effort to take the time to help someone every day. But I'm up for the challenges!