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 Wednesday between 10:30 - 11:00am.
I did really well in achieving my goal this past week. Between my roommates and myself we were able to fill up two full bags of compostable materials. The only portion of my SMART goal that I did not stick with was the time I dropped off the bag of compost. My roommate actually dropped the bags off Tuesday evening instead of my scheduled time of Wednesday.
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. They have really been amazing at placing their scraps of composting materials into the bag as well. I feel this has been motivating me even more to make sure I'm composting because I am the 'health resource' in our home. I want to make sure that I am continuing to set a good example to them. We have also been continuing to encourage one another to place any scraps into the composting bag and when we go to drop the bags off, we have actually been walking together! This really helps me because than there is more of a motivation for me to walk up to Sara's Table. If I had continued to do this on my own I know I would be struggling a lot more.
One challenge that I encountered was I again the time factor. Having the drop-off time set for mid-morning was a little inconvenient considering I do try to arrive to school by 9am. The other 'challenge' that I am facing is that one of my roommates moved the composting bucket outside on our entryway. I do not have a huge problem with this, it is just that now I am having a harder time remembering to save my scraps. I know she means well and the only reason she placed it outside was because she was afraid the bag may begin to release an unpleasant smell in the fridge. To resolve this 'issue' I am simply going to hang a sticky note on my shelf in the fridge to remind me. I have also decided to, once again, switch the time I bring the bag(s) to the composting site. I am going to do it Tuesday evening 5-7pm. Often times in the mornings I do feel a little rushed and generally in the evenings I am a little more relaxed and feel as if I have more time to do 'piddly' activities. I feel by giving myself a larger time frame as well will make me feel as if I am having an easier time succeeding with my goal.
I'm sure you're wondering how Thanksgiving went for me, well, as I mentioned in my first eco-chic post my family has always been good about taking scrap food and giving it to our pets. So when we did have leftover scraps after our dinner they were either placed into a bag to be brought out to the chickens the following day or placed on a plate that was brought outside for the dog and cats to clean.
It feels great when I see the composting bag fill up with our scraps. I think it is a great visual to demonstrate how much 'waste' we do produce and that even our scraps tend to add up over time. It is also wonderful seeing my roommates get involved and excited about helping the environment as well.
This past week I learned the importance of sharing what you are doing to help the environment with others. When I initially mentioned what I planned to do with my roommates I thought they would be happy for me, but I didn't think they would get so into it! So it doesn't hurt to inform others about what you are doing because you may never know (or imagine) what kind of an impact that may have on them.
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, again, is the time. Wednesday at 10:30-11am just does not seem to do it, so I will change the time from Wednesday morning to Tuesday evening. I am doing this to synchronize with our weekly blog posts as well as so that I may not feel rushed when it comes to completing the behavior change!
How wonderful that you've made such an impact on all of your roommates. Like your one roommate, I'd also be a little skeptical of leaving the compost bin in the refrigerator due to the smell, so at least you've come up with some way to still remind yourself to do so. And for Thanksgiving, at least you were DOING something with your scraps (feeding the animals) rather than wasting it and just throwing it in the garbage. Great job sonny!
ReplyDeleteIt is so awesome that your roommates have gotten so involved! It makes me wonder how much less municipal waste my house would have if we began to collect food for composting. Have you noticed that you have had a lot less in your trash bags? It's also great that you were able to find ways to compost during Thanksgiving! Great job :)
ReplyDeleteGood job on basically reaching your goal. Don't you love the feeling of getting other people involved? It's so rewarding for me to know that I have affected people's habits in a positive way. I also think it's good that you found a way to use your scraps on thanksgiving by feeing it to the animals and pets (even though it probably isn't best for them!) but it's better than throwing it away.
ReplyDeleteWow! I think you are meeting two goals. Teaching your room mates to become GREEN and you composting safely. I think it's cool how your family can give your left over to your family pets instead of making it trash again. Way to go! I am still going over to Sara's Table to grab those bags! I need some before Winter break starts!
ReplyDeleteI have noticed a lot less items going into the trash. I would really encourage you all to look into composting. I thought that composting simply had to do with food, however, I have learned that a lot of other items may be composted as well, such as glue and tea bags! Check out this website to see what else may be composted! http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/surprising-compost-items.html
ReplyDeleteI'm still really impressed that you got your roommates to participate in your goal with you. It can be so hard to get others to do the things we do when they've been accustomed to doing things their own way.
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