I'm not going to get to this challenge of reducing paper by online billing and subscriptions. Darn. I actually wanted to dig into all the junk mail I receive at work and home and get off mailing lists. But this takes a lot of time! There used to be a great app for this, but it seems to have gone away. If anyone has any good tips for reducing junk mail, I'm all ears!

While I didn't meet the challenge of taking a daily walk, when I did, it made my day better! Being outside, noticing changes in the weather, noticing how walkable my neighborhood is - all contribute to a better sense of place. 

Doing an energy audit is still on my list of things to do. My house is very old and I know there is poor insulation in a number of places. While we have replaced a number of large ticket items the past couple years, including the HVAC and the water heater, I know there are still things we can do to improve how energy is used in our home.

In my neighborhood, most of the human activities that impact water are related to how people care for their yards, manage their HHW, and manage their pet waste. I had some mulch left over from putting in a vegetable garden and did not know it could help manage water runoff by our tree. 

I didn't get around to this task during this EcoChallenge, but it's still on my list! Ameren Missouri offers heavily discounted smart thermostats in their online store, and you can sign up for $25 off your bill to participate in their summer demand response program called Peak Time Savings. Lowering our demand for electricity during times of highest demand helps balance the grid, and reduces ghg emissions.  http://www.amerenmissourisavings.com/

Any food choice affects my health and the health of the planet. I feel good supporting local farmers and try to buy organic when I can. I've paid more intention to what grains I eat and how they are grown.

With Engineers without Borders I was leading a team to build a bridge in Kenya. There was one Kenyan woman on our construction team with mostly males. One day, we had to cut half of the laborers because we were only doing some light painting. The lady looked at me and asked for the job, but I was so afraid of stepping on the toes of the Kenyan supervisor and crossing cultural boundaries that I didn't fight for her. I regret that decision. I know at least we were able to create jobs for her and the other Kenyans for a few days. 

I commuted to school by bike. My Dad commuted by bike and bus to work for 30 years. My first car was the most efficient car I could find and so will our next one. A testimony can make a difference.  My sisters each have a Prius. Cost savings is a great incentive,

Choose to stay home and join he meeting call in.

We discovered wonderful places to visit in our state. A family vacation is really about time spent together experiencing new places. We don't have to go far to do that.