Anna Baldwin

I joined the challenge to be pushed further in expanding my lifestyle choices to revolve around reducing my impact on the planet. I have already incorporated important changes, such as; bringing a refillable coffee mug to coffee shops; refusing paper or plastic bags at the grocer, and bringing reusable bags instead, including bags for produce;...

One of my action items is taking a 5-minute shower. I wish there was an option for no shower. I oftentimes shower every other or every two days. How much water am I saving then?

My ecochallenge 2022 is going okay. Some of my action items involve communication and I sometimes spend an entire day without communicating to anyone other than my husband. I do try and practice active listening when I am able to. I would like to explore gardening and cooking with local, fresh fruits and vegetables. I would also like to invest...

Active listening is a show of respect in a conversation. It feels nice to listen and be listened to in return. 

It's easy to get distracted in the chaos of life. Sometimes we need a little reminder to practice mindfulness. It can help to organize some of the stray thoughts in our heads. In my moments of practicing mindfulness, I thought about things I could do to be more active, like joining a team sport. 

I would like to start collecting rainwater to use as a watering source for my plants. I also have heard that leftover water from boiling pasta has tons of nutrients and is good for plants. I will say that it takes an active mind to shower for 5 minutes. Most of my deepest thoughts happen in the shower, so it's easy to spend 10 minutes +...