I will place any extra food I have after each meal into a bucket to be dropped off and composted at Sara's Table Restaurant (a composting site) each Friday between 10 - 10:30am.
I did really well in achieving my goal this past week. Between my roommates and myself we were able to fill up a full bag of compostable materials. I even dropped off all of the carved pumpkins that we still had sitting on our front steps from Halloween! The only portion of my SMART goal that I did not stick with was the time I dropped off the bag of compost. I actually dropped the bag off on Saturday afternoon instead of on Friday.
Where I succeeded in my goal was taking all scrap pieces of my food and placing it into the composting bag. What I did to help me be successful in this area was I continued to place the composting bag on my shelf in the fridge which has been a great spot to remind me that once I'm finished eating I should compost any food possible.
My roommates also helped me succeed. In my house we really like to cook food from scratch and so whenever someone had scrap pieces of materials or food I would mention that they could simply place the materials in the composting bag. One way this has been helpful is because now everyone in my house is composting and it's not just me; and that my house is actually encouraging and reminding one another to place the food into the compost bag. This also helps me because than there is more of a reason for me to walk up to Sara's Table. If I had been doing this on my own I would have had a lot less food in the bag and because my roommates put their materials in there as well I have more to drop off at the end of the week.
One challenge that I encountered was I realized that I get done with work at 10am. The reason I chose that time frame was because I thought I could drop off the bag at Sara's Table on my way home from work, however, I realized when I got up Friday morning that I would have to let the bag sit in my car until I finished work and I really did not want my car to smell or, even worse, having the possibility of the bag leaking as it sat. This week was also a little more difficult because I knew I wanted to take our old pumpkins and drop them off as well and since there were a total of five I knew I would have to drive the two blocks up the hill from my house to Sara's Table instead of walking like I imagined. To be honest, the reason I succeeded in finally driving up the hill to drop off my items was the mere fact that I was tired of having to go around the pumpkins in order to get into my house. They were also starting to rot and the sight of them made me feel our home seemed unclean and uninviting.
After I dropped of the items into the bin I felt great! I know it wasn't much but I felt that my little extra effort and time put into the lifestyle change really paid off. As soon as I placed the items into the bin it felt as though I was actually taking action and initiative in helping out the environment! I wasn't necessarily just learning information and 'storing' it away in my mind for later, I was actually doing what I learned and putting it into practice and good use!
This past week I learned how fast and accessable the composting bin was. I had never ventured over to the drop-off spot before and I learned that the bin is located outside. This made me really excited because then if I ever do run late for dropping off the bag I can still go and drop it off at any time, and do not have to necessarily wait for the restaurant to open.
I plan to continue with the same goal as before and place any excess or outdated items into the composting bucket and bring the bucket to the composting site at the end of the work week. The one thing I will change is the time. Friday at 10-10:30am just does not seem to do it, so I will change the time from Fridays to Wednesdays at 10:30-11am. I am doing this to synchronize with our weekly blog posts as well as I figure with Thanksgiving just around the corner I will have enough food to make a trip to the composting site earlier!
Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3 hosted by Amy @ Amy in the Rain.
That's awesome that you're getting your roommates involved in your goal! Maybe they will spread the word to their friends and we'll see a chain reaction going. Keep up the good work, and I wouldn't fret too much about the time you do it, you are getting it done and that's all that matters :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like your new goal is going to help you achieve it much easier, and not have to make you RUSH and DISLIKE going on Fridays. I can't believe that you got all of your roommates to join in on composting! That is wonderful. THAT is the type of thing that should be happening all over. Spread of word, spread of action. Maybe they will even tell other people and start a whole new tradition
ReplyDeleteThis is really good that you are doing a great job! I recently went to eat and check out Sara's Table and it was really YUMMY! It's the only place that I found that served Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwiches) in Duluth. COOLNESS! Now that I know where it is and what they are, I want to know where I can drop off my excess food scraps too.
ReplyDeleteWhen others around you get involved it makes any action a lot easier. Its hard to get others to change their ways so good job getting them on board with you! It seems like you're doing really well with your goal. Were you able to keep up with your compost while going home for thanksgiving?
ReplyDeleteIt is so awesome that your goal has rubbed off on your roommates! I really like that they are encouraging each other to do it. I wouldn't be too hard on yourself for not dropping it off the day you said you were going to- you still helped out the environment a lot! Have you noticed that your house is producing less garbage?
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful to hear that your roommates are becoming involved in your project. It is great to hear that you're spreading knowledge and good lifestyle habits to others! Keep up the wonderful job!
ReplyDeleteGreat job! It's awesome your roommates are helping you stick to this! I bet you guys will continue to do this after this class is over! How do you keep your house from smelling like food for the week while you are collecting?
ReplyDelete