Sherry Hall

The EcoChallenge has given me a valuable opportunity to practice conscious thankfulness.  As this challenge closes am thankful for the EcoChallenge Community, our First Unitarian Church Team and the good Community for Earth people at First Unitarian.  

 I am appreciating Fall, the rain, and the many varieties apples there are to enjoy.  I picked up 4 kinds today for a cider party and pressed enough to bringing home 3 gallons of apple juice.  I think I will try making hard cider.  

I am thankful that my husband made mac and cheese tonight because I was home late and have not been as creative as I hoped. Tomorrow I will  cook from the VEGETABLE POT PIE SKILLET WITH A CHEDDAR BISCUIT TOPPING, a recipe out of the website suggested by EcoChallenge Staff https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/vegetarian/ .   

It is time I began thinking about my most important challenge, the "Community Challenge".  I pledged to "find out who in my state makes decisions that impact the environment and express my support for more environmental actions." . I support a carbon fee and through SB1057, The Clean Jobs Bill (http://www.reneworegon.org/clean_energy_jobs).  The fate of this bill will be decided by the whole legislature though, most of whom represent other areas of the state who listen to own constituents.   I will at least write Governor Brown today to thank her for her support of the bill and express my support to Kathleen Taylor and Karin Power.  They all are something to be thankful for today.

Shopping day today.  Stir-fry with tofu tonight and cornbread and lentils tomorrow. 

The challenge makes me more conscious of other earth care actions needed.  I took in my mothers and my mason bees in for the winter.  I have so many.  If anyone some free tubes of mason bee larvae for bees in their garden next year.  Let me know.  I learned that PCC will have a class on harvesting the larvae.  This protects the larvae better pest infestation.  I will be checking into that. 

I woke up last night at 12:34 remembering I didn't post yesterday.   I am glad that we can check-in to register our challenge status for days past.  I am finding listing things each day I am grateful for each day is a helpful habit to get back to.  Still looking for yummy vegetarian dinners. I cooked my eggplant parmesean and will eat it tonight.  

I am gathering my vegetarian cookbooks to prepare for more vegetarian meals.  I bought eggplant today but think I passed "Diet for a Small Planet" on to someone else at some so I may have to wing it.  

The challenge begins in two days.   I have been trying out good vegetarian meals. Any suggestions welcomed.  I had a great vegetarian enchilada yesterday at Elephants Deli.  The only problem was that plastic clamshell.  I should have brought my own container along with the bamboo fork and knife set I always carry.  

Thanks to Erin for joining us!  

There is a discussion on our "Nextdoor" feed I have been following about plastics recycling changes.  China has stopped accepting recycled plastic clamshells, bags, and lids from us which means our recycling centers have to stop accepting them as there is no place to send them.  I am hoping this helps us all avoid purchasing items in plastic.  See below the link to take the METRO 2030 waste plan survey. 

"Talk Trash
Want to help develop a local waste economy and a better future for garbage and waste management? METRO is working on a 2030 waste plan right now. Take the survey and share what matters to you most."