Kim Smith

It is interesting how these types of challenges increase awareness in my life and in the lives around me.  I have been striving so hard not to consume any single-use plastic during the Eco-Challenge.  This shapes so much of our lives.  Yet, this awareness can also cause difficult conversations, as my partner did not choose this action.  There was a plastic water bottle on our kitchen counter this evening and I felt utterly sickened.  I asked him where it came from and it was amazing how ashamed he felt.  I didn't mean to make him feel so bad, but it was his own awareness that led him to want to talk about how he had left his water bottle at home and how he wanted to apologize.  Really interesting lifestyle shift.

I have been carrying my larger purse during the EcoChallenge, as one of the easy actions I can take to reduce my single-use plastic is to have my carrying case of bamboo silverware and my stainless steel straw.  I have to remember to use them, but this type of commitment helps me make it a regular habit.

Thank goodness for local restaurants using sustainable serving dishes, with easy bussing stations, recycling, composting, etc.  It really made lunch easy.  Then, with my home garden, it was easy to harvest greens and make a homemade, healthy meal.

I am so grateful to PCC's sustainability team for their commitment to reducing plastic consumption.  Our lunch for our meeting was served with reusable plates, silverware, and cups, in addition to being all vegan.

Goodness, it was really hard to meet my plastic challenge at a party last night.  I was doing OK, but then someone handed me cake on a plastic plate and plastic fork, plus wine in a plastic glass. :(

I helped my mom and uncle do a big purge and cleared out a lot of e-waste.  Thank goodness for Free Geek!  https://www.freegeek.org/