ONE YEAR CHALLENGE UPDATE

Back on August 1st I launched a One Year Challenge for myself- the challenge had three major points: to go vegan, to consume less, and lessen my carbon footprint. I haven't updated since day 9 (oops!) but it has still been something I have tried to stick with. So here is the run down ...

Go Vegan > this has not been easy. I had a lot of slips in the beginning, mostly with processed foods (which I am trying to weed out altogether). I think the lesson that has resonated with me the most so far is to always be prepared. This past week I have realized that my vegan diet could be a lot better- this is mostly thanks to reading The Kind Diet. This weekend I am sitting down and planning a serious meal calendar so I can shop thoroughly ahead of time and never find myself in a situation where I have to hope for the best or eat something that may be vegan but not so healthy. That's not the point of the vegan lifestyle! I feel loads better in a lot of ways- my skin feels different, I feel lighter, I have lost weight without trying, and I rarely feel that uncomfortable stuffed feeling after eating but I do feel satisfied and I like all of these side effects, now I want to magnify them! So I dilly dallied a little in the first two months but I resolve for this third month to be a lot stronger.

Consume Less > Now that I am not working in retail this is much easier. I did have to shop for new work clothes as I did not have a closet that was prepared for business casual! But on a whole I feel like I have decreased my more frivolous impulse buys. Nate and I started the 'envelope system' this past week and I have a feeling that will help hold me accountable more as well!

Lessen my Carbon Footprint > This has been a little harder for me- taking time out to actually problem solve some of life's obstacles with creating waste instead of taking the easy way out. I am still shopping with my eco totes, I switched my make-up to eco friendly fair trade to help protect my skin and our water, restyling material I already have (like these DIY cloth napkins) I purchased eco friendly laundry detergent, I am gearing up to make some homemade beauty products, and I would like to make some homemade cleaning products as well!

So the first two months were far from perfect- but, I learned a lot from them! I am excited to push myself harder this month and propel this project full speed ahead ♥

DAY NINE

So its Day 9 of my 365 challenge to consume less, eat vegan, and watch my carbon footprint. So far I made one slip on the consume less department- that darn rug at Target was the perfect color that I had been looking for, its been months of searching and it just had to show up in my life now. Not justifying, just saying. Veganism is a piece of cake ... so far. Eating at home has been key (but hey, helping that carbon footprint goal!) Grocery shopping is probably the hardest at this point as I am learning the products and brands that are best. This book has been a lot of help! As for the carbon footprint- I am still looking into composting, it won't be as easy as I thought it would be being on the second floor or an apartment building but I determined to find a way to manage. And assessing our food storage options, products we buy, and recycling options have all been things I have been researching and brainstorming. It is really important to me to develop systems and guidelines that work with our life, not flip it upside down! I just worry we won't be able to stick to things that work against us in too many ways- and I believe we can totally accomplish this. So cheers to 9 days- only 354 to go! ♥

 necklace // forever 21

THIS IS IT

Today is day one of my personal challenge to consume less, go vegan, and change the impact of my carbon footprint. This will probably be my easiest day in the coming months- I have been happy at home drinking my juice and working on projects around here to keep my mind busy. The challenge will be my days out in the world, watching people shop, eat, and make decisions (consciously or not) that impact our world in a negative way. I am excited to really focus on new practices and nervous at the same time. I will definitely be working out my will power muscle.

I am feeling a change in my moral code and convictions. This project is the capstone of the last few months of researching. I have educated myself and formed my own opinions about different modern industries and though I will be sharing these here (it is my blog after all) I know that my opinions are not the end all. On this blog and in life I simply want people to be educated about the truths of what is going on in the manufacturing and food industries- make your own opinions from there.

Currently I am reading The Conscious Kitchen, it is really inspiring and I can tell it will be a go-to resource for swapping out foods and environmentally unhealthy products from our diet and home. I have gone through my closet and purged it of any items I wasn't in love with and will be doing the same to my cosmetics soon. Simplify Simplify Simplify!

Here is to the beginning of an amazing year! ♥

I might be crazy. This may be where Nate has to intervene and ask if I am sick, crazy, or hit my head at work. Because what I am about to set out on is a challenge that seems extremely daunting, way out of my league, and yea- pretty exciting too!

We have one life on this planet- one shot to do it right. And this has been on my mind a lot lately. Am I fully living and living the best that I can? The answer is no- there is room for improvement, I am ready for growth and I figure go big or go home right? Right.

So I developed this plan over the past few days to take one year, starting August 1, to focus on these three areas of my (and Nates, by default) life.

1. Consumerism: I work in fast fashion. I have always been a 'healthy' consumer. Fashion trends, makeup, hair products, home goods- you name it, I bought it. I worried that I needed new clothes for outfit posts, that I had to try beauty products the magazines raved about, upgrade our furniture and accessories with the seasons all to keep up with an imaginary competitor I made up in my mind. And I am so burnt out on buying. So for one entire year I will be abstaining from purchasing clothing, excessive beauty products, and home goods. This is serious.

2. Food: I have been vegetarian for awhile now but I feel more and more compelled to go Vegan. I want to eat completely kind and to know that I am not consuming or using products that harm another living being in any way is extremely important to me. As for my carnivorous husband- we will be purchasing as much as we can from companies that work to treat their animals kindly and hopefully find vegetarian substitutes he enjoys along the way! So for the next year I will be eating 100% vegan.

3. Waste: Even for being 2 people we create a lot of waste. We are artistic and crafty and have a lot of scraps, cooking for two can cause excess if not planned properly, we get junk mail, and we tend to hoard things and then do major trash hauls out of frustration. I want to look at our home and see where we can scale back to stop excess from square one, and how we can use items in new ways. Find items collecting dust to donate and work harder at using all the produce we purchase and create as little food waste as possible. So for one year we will be scaling back on waste, by finding new uses for what we have and by scaling back on what we bring into our home.


Over the next few weeks I will be breaking each of these categories down into step by step plans of how I plan to achieve living simpler and consuming less. What I hope to get from this year is a better appreciation of what we already have, to stop focusing my energy on desires and to really channel my time and focus into experiences. I want us to lessen our carbon footprint and to do all we can to ensure we are living as the best people we can be for ourselves and for our community! I am so excited for this!! ♥