Rachel’s challenge

Do it all! Eat locally, use alternative forms of transportation, become involved in the community and live a greener life.

Recap

Over the past five weeks I have challenged myself to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. Literally. Each week I took on a different sustainability challenge and wrote about my experiences. Among the challenges were a week of only eating local foods, a week of greening my home and a week of using alternative transportation. This week I tried to implement everything I have learned over the summer about living sustainably. This was no easy task.

Is it possible to integrate everything I have learned from this project into my life?

Is it possible? Yes. Is it very difficult? Yes. Reducing your carbon footprint takes more than one week. The process asks you to reassess every aspect of your life; the way you eat, the way you recreate, the way you travel from one place to another. For beginners it is best to first, ask a lot of questions—why is it better to eat locally? Why should I insulate my attic? Why should I go to an art gallery? Second, seek the answers. The folks I spoke with over these five weeks were incredibly accessible and committed to making Cleveland a more sustainable city. Use the web, use gcbl.org and look up local food markets, arts partnerships, environmental organizations, co-ops and contact them! Finally, use your new information to implement new practices into your life. Strike a balance between your old habits and your new sustainable ones. For example, it is not practical (especially in winter) to completely limit your diet to locally grown foods; however, you can choose to buy local produce when it is in season. Over the week I cooked with a mixture of local and non-local items. Similarly, this week I rode my bike to and from work everyday except for Friday. On Friday, I had a couple of different places I had to go and both public transit and biking would not get me to the destinations in a sufficient amount of time. Still, I would consider this week a victory because altering your life is about gaining awareness and putting in the effort, the rest comes with practice and time.

What are the challenges?

My biggest challenge was my own laziness. Resisting the urge to snooze in order to pack my biking bag with work clothes, remembering to unplug my cell phone charger and fighting off the desire for a frozen, pre-packaged meal.

How has this project changed the way I view Cleveland?

My summer challenge reintroduced me to Cleveland. A city with urban gardens, a growing local arts scene, bicycle co-ops, and local food markets everyday of the week. A scrappy city with a do-it-yourself attitude, a loyal place where one person with one idea can start an organization or a program. I have always been a Cleveland advocate but now I radiate Cleveland pride.

How will this challenge affect my post-collegiate life (yikes!)?

My experiences are already helping me think about how I will live my life after I graduate from college next year. For the first time I will be out on my own and will be in control of some big choices. The way I choose to eat, the way I choose to commute, and the way I choose to recreate are decisions that will affect the environment in which I live. My actions can advocate sustainability and a better world—and that could be my most powerful post-graduate job.