Reid Park Zoo

The challenge has been fun and challenging. Eating a low carbon diet and learning of native landscape have been the most impactful. I am pleased I decided to participate, as the challenge has helped me become familiar with a community that is new to me, and been monumental in creating eco conscious and healthier havits.

I have not been able to participate in a planting, so have focused on creating my own native plant refuge on my patio,

I have been eating less beef and dairy, and instead am replacing these with plant based foods. It has been interesting as I notice my body has less cravings as I have adapted to the changes.

Meal planning has been something I wanted to do, but simply never started. I am seeing the benefits in saving energy, and definitely less food waste.

As I was cleaning, I met people I would not have.

While I know a fair amount about endangered land animals, I know very little about endangered sea life. So this weekend while watching some sea-related animal documentaries, I learned about whale sharks and their declining numbers. Climate change, finning, bycatch, and unsustainable tourism all pose as threats to their population.

While I've cut back a lot over the years on single-use items, I do use a lot of cotton pads for makeup removal. However, I did just purchase reusable bamboo ones to be more eco-friendly. I look forward to trying them out!

It's estimated that around 1.3 billion plastic bottles are used daily around the globe. (I learned that they also take 450 years to decompose!) I will do my part to not contribute to these numbers by using reusable water bottles. I will also bring my own reusable mugs/cups when ordering coffee from Starbucks!

From this time spent researching freshwater and oceans, I learned about the endangered sawfish efforts currently taking place in Florida. I learned how important they are to their ecosystem, and how their recent mysterious deaths are likely caused by global warming and algae blooms. I felt it’s important to share this info with others to show...

I participated in a neighborhood clean up effort this morning! It’s always nice connecting with neighbors while doing something positive for the environment.