Guest Post: Jen’s Green Challenge

Hey everyone! My name is Jen and blog over at Jen is Green, and I’m so happy that Courtney asked me to write a guest post while she is away this weekend! I blog about health, food and fitness and some of you may be wondering why my blog is called “Jen is Green”. Well, a while ago I started a blog about “going green” which never really amounted to anything; I just kept the name for my current blog. Just recently I’ve tried to live up to my blog name. What does this have to do with health and fitness? Well, I consider trying to live sustainably a big part of healthy living, since we have to try to keep our Earth healthy too. :-)

I currently have a challenge going on at my blog called “Jen’s Green Challenge”. The concept is pretty simple, actually. Every month I’m going to post a green challenge that I’m going to have to stick to for one entire year, in order to influence other people to do the same. The challenge must be something I have to sacrifice in order to live more sustainably, in hope that one small change will influence others to do the same. One person won’t have much of an impact on our planet, but lots of small changes will hopefully produce change in the end!

Jen’s Challenge for the month of October

For one year, only purchase only wine or beer from whatever state I am in. In other words, since I live in New York State, the only beer or wine I purchase will be produced here. But, if I’m in another state on vacation or visiting, I will be allowed to buy that state’s beer or wine.  I have a few bottles of wine that I’ve bought already that aren’t local–but I can still drink them since I’ve purchased them before starting this challenge. The beer or wine I buy from now on will have to be made in New York State.

So, what are the benefits of buying local? According to sustainabletable.org, “local foods are produced as close to home as possible. Buying local supports a more sustainable food system because true sustainability goes beyond the methods used in food production to include every step that brings food from farm to plate.” For more information on reasons why to eat local, visit this website. You can also find a place near you to find local food on the Eat Well Guide.

In addition to this challenge, I’ve also been taking numerous small steps to reduce my impact on the planet.

Other things we can do:

· Purchase food in bulk with reusable containers to reduce on packaging and ultimately reduce waste

· Bring reusable shopping bags to the grocery store rather than using plastic bags

· Drink from a reusable coffee mug when buying coffee (or reusable tea mug, in my case!) to cut back on waste

· Compost food scraps at home

· Recycle plastic, glass, and paper instead of throwing them in the trash

· Always use a reusable water bottle instead purchasing bottled water

· Buy local produce, meat, and dairy products when possible and when in season

There are tons and tons of things we can do to live more sustainably, but these are just a few basic steps we can take in order to live more “green” lives! Help me by taking part in my Green Challenge!