April Tiny Challenge: Your Experiences
By tinychoices | May 13, 2008
Back in the beginning of April, we double-dog-dared you to join us in the April Tiny Challenge, wherein we all committed to implement a new tiny, or not so tiny, eco-choice for the month. Approximately 45 intrepedatious folks left comments declaring their intentions on that first post, with check-ins following at Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3.
We then invited you Tiny Choosers to write up a brief report of your personal experiences with this commitment. Here’s how it went, in your words, from the emails we received last week:
Karina: I did a terrible job. I committed to no plastic straws and I was sure it would be so simple! But while I was ultra-conscious of plastic straws, mostly I was ultra-conscious AFTER they arrived at my table. I would say that maybe 50% of the time I was able to stop plastic-straw-reception, but it might have been even less frequently. I will say, thought, that this ultra-consciousness is a new thing for me. I am dealing with feelings of environmental guilt that I have never had before! I might start a plastic straw penance project, wherein I carry around all the straws that I have the misfortune (more honestly, the poor foresight and planning) to receive for an entire month. I know that the plastic straw issue will stay with me into the future!
Jenn: I had committed to cooking one meal at home per week, in order to cut down on take-out packaging waste, and to lower the footprint of my food ingredients, and to eat both healthier and less expensively. Well…. I was very surprised at how difficult this tiny choice is for me to implement with my current lifestyle. In order for this to happen I need to specifically set aside a night to just come directly home from work and cook, because otherwise my social life (such as it is) keeps me out most nights of the week. And cooking at 10 or 11pm on a weeknight is quite obviously not going to happen. So while I do want to make this tiny choice as standard part of my life for so many healthy reasons, it’s going to take a conscious shift in priorities. Which I’m working up to. In the meantime I think I can work on non-cooked meals– such as salads and wraps– which can be made in 15 minutes or less and will be more nourishing than the many lunches I buy on the go. So, this is a choice I’m totally committed to!
Harper: I decided to use power strips for my non-essential electronics and place the power strips where I could easily turn them off each night. This was much harder than I thought it would be. There always seemed to be something else to do rather than crawling around on the floor gathering up power cords. Without the weekly check-in I wonder if I would have followed through. However, one very good result is that I now realize how many kitchen electronics I had plugged in that I never use or use very rarely. My next challenge is to donate those and consider alternatives to some — perhaps a stove-top popcorn popping vs an airpopper — and reconsider what I consider essential. I’ve also thought about using a timer for things like TiVo — don’t need it at night but would be very sad if it weren’t on during the day.
Kristine: i decided to quit using plasic bags (from the grocery store) to put my garbage in, feel like i cheated somewhat cause i called kari to ask how that is done (messy stuff and all) and now buy my orange juice in cartons and am using the cartons for the messy stuff, the trash can for paper/non food stuff…so far works pretty well, and i am pretty proud of myself…i did not think i could get around without the plastic bags…whew!
MamaBird: I was trying to cook a veggie meal once a week. I got crazy busy around the end of the month and didn’t cook much at all (even better for the planet! eating less!) *but* overall I will say that I reawoke the part of me that used to be a vegetarian. I have started reaching for the veggies more as a main dish, at least for me for starters. Also? I made a rockin’ jicama-citrus salad for my raw vegan friend’s birthday. Thanks for the challenge, it’s so interesting how something so small (tiny?!) can lodge in my brain and really make me change my habits.
martha in mobile: It turned out that taking in my own grocery bags was a pretty easy “tiny choice.” Since the local groceries are (finally) selling reusable bags, the checkers cannot grumble too loudly about the inconvenience. I have gotten over my ridiculous reluctance to take one store’s bag into a different store by having one bag from each of the 3 stores I frequent. Somehow that makes it okay. Whatever it takes, I guess!
yaiAnn: The challenge went well! I was able to start separating out the green waste finally found an accessible spot for the bin. My parents now use it regularly too. It was only a matter of finding the right spot for it and it happened to be right next to the garbage can. I just had to move a few things to make some room.
For 41 pounds, I registered but still have yet to receive my materials but am looking forward to getting them!
Thanks for being the catalyst to jump start my green intentions!
sg: thanks for my tiny (not so tiny) april challenge! I tried to think about changing my food buying habits this month to avoid plastic. Tough stuff, since a) it’s before my CSA season starts this year and b) my fridge broke mid-challenge.
Regardless, I took it all in stride. I am far from plastic-free, but I am eating more fresh foods and looking out for containers that are 100% plastic free. It’s made easier by living close to a farmer’s market and that I don’t eat meat, but it’s really made me think: how are we really going to get away from plastic without major regulation. We are going to have to start some major actions to boycott plastics to make a big change (ahem, while we continue to make our own tiny choice at home, of course. Weekly letter-writing campaigns? Targeted boycotts? Letters to the editor? Street graffiti stencils with beet-spray paint? What do you smart ladies suggest?
So what do you think? Was your April Tiny Choice easy, and are you picking a bigger fish to fry, or was it tougher than you thought and are you picking something smaller to start with?
And most importantly: was it fun? should we do it again soon?
Topics: Activism |
Wow! This is so inspiring! It’s neat to see what everyone chose to do!
isn’t it so neat? and everyone was such a rockstar too!
You should definitely do it again! Although I didn’t commit to anything specific, I was motivated by the actions other people said they would take… like not taking plastic straws, using reusable bags for groceries, and signing up for a CSA to eat more local. Thanks!
I’m glad you got something out of it, Nicole! it was a neat experiment, all around.
I thought it was just right…and doing it again is a very good idea. I will definitely participate! I liked the “checking in” every week for progress and updates. Maybe take a month off between for people to muse, gather energy, and plan.
I definately need to gather energy and lick some of my wounds! :)
I liked it, just right indeed. karina - get big straws and then you can at least wash em out, cut them up, and give them to little kids to make necklaces with. harper - you can actually make popcorn in the microwave (if you have one) by just using a regular old brown paper bag. I found 1/3 cup works best in a lunch sized bag. Pop until the popping slows down. And back to tiny choices - i like the size of the challenge - I did crunchy chicken’s no consumption during april as well and learned much from both. I found it really curious how motivating it is to have to check in. Or be accountable, who knows? At any rate keep em coming!
You should do a monthly challenge again! I am already plotting my abstention from plastic silverware :) I’m keeping up with my April challenge (to bring my lunch to work at least three times a week) and when I don’t bring my lunch (like today!) I really get annoyed at the time and money I’m wasting buying it! I’m so glad I did this, I’ve been thinking about it for a long time but needed a kick to get going, and now I’m in a groove and it’s awesome!
Nice to see that people gave the challenges a try. I am more ashamed at my apparent need for a copyeditor. *blush*
my tiny choice was to let go of refined sugar. it was interesting! i do deep cleanses a couple times a year with significant dietary shifts, and i adore them. the thing i found hardest about my tiny choice was remembering it! it was so small, it wasn’t threaded to a lot… so yeah, i enjoyed the stimulus and the discussion, but i think i’d choose something more significant so that i could stay conscious. also, i have to say that i think i find it more fulfilling when doing this sort of endeavor if folks are taking on similar things; more to learn and grow from in that way.
that’s a good idea, dahlia - maybe we could do “trash month” or “transportation month” and everyone can pick something in those categories.
My monthly challenge was to turn my computer off every night before falling asleep. At first it was super easy and I only slipped up once, but then i decided to unload bunches of files from my computer causing all sorts of technical probs! oh No! So i had to start pulling the plug and battery out to get the computer to shut down at all, and turning it back on took 25 mins every morning. oh well…. but i stuck to it. Only 2 nights I didn’t turn it off.
This lead me to start unplugging everything while I am not using it, like my toaster oven and hotplate too! AND turning my printer off when not in use.
I love the April challenge, and found it inspiring to read everyone’s stories! Thanks bunches for the idea!
wow, Leslie, that is dedication to sit through the 25 min. startup! I know that I am always sneaking by with “sleep” on my work laptop…
I decided that I wasn’t going to use toilet paper any more…I was just going to use my hand and when I was finished wash it off….
It was easy at first, but then I forgot to wash my hand before pulling up my pants and got it all over! OMG! I’m such an idiot, like, I def. shoulda remembered that I had it all over my hand….
anyway, I’m going to keep trying! yippee
I’m a bit late to this…oh well. I finally sewed up some cloth napkins from some old fabric I had sitting around doing nothing useful (very easy, just cut them in the shape you want, zig zag sew along the edges, use an iron to fold the edges over about 1/4″ and then straight sew to finish). We use them for napkins, to dry lettuce on, and anything we’d use paper towels for (except the truly gross stuff-we have cats). And we also have cloth napkins for when we have people over for dinner.
I think these choices only work when they’re practical, but so many of them are. It takes a few seconds to unplug a power strip, or throw a can in the recycle bin. People think choices like this turn life into a constant chore-and it could be (and I’m sure many people make it into a chore). But I like this site because it doesn’t-it’s much more about choices that are practical and small, but add up to a big difference (not just environmentally, either. I can’t tell you how much money I’ve saved with these changes).
And you know what? The choices that aren’t practical are often that way because the choice isn’t there yet (for example, the search for good, safe, sunblock). The more we ask for it, the more likely we are to get it eventually.