Grist dared me to make a change

I am going to eliminate as much plastic as possible from my life for two weeks. But I’m keeping my toothbrush. I’m not THAT crazy.

It took me two hours to buy five days’ worth of groceries that didn’t have any plastic packaging. Two hours! WTF?

Accepting Grist’s dare, I vow to wear only secondhand clothes for a week. Goodbye, Bloomingdale’s. Hello, Salvation Army.

Grist dared me to plan an eco-friendly party for my college buddies. The first challenge: making sure there’s enough food to be polite, but not so much that it goes to waste.

We don’t need no stinkin’ plastic! We made our own tortillas. And hummus, too.

Back in college, I carried my own trash around with me everywhere I went. Now, the Grist staff has challenged me to do it again.

Millions of pet dogs in the United States means a lot of poo-filled plastic bags in landfills. Here’s how Hank and I figured out a solution to that nasty mess.

Ask Umbra takes on a new sustainable living dare every day for 25 days.

I want to tell you stories about my gross garbage. I really do. But so far, there’s just not that much of it.

A look inside my closet reveals that all of the hobbies I love — trail running, skiing, biking — involve plastic. Damn it.

The most sustainable new outfit is one that isn’t new at all. That’s why Grist dared me to wear my mom’s 1970s-era clothes for a week. Hello, bellbottoms!

For the first week of my dare-a-day challenge, I planted peas, spoke to some very smart young people and greened up my sunscreen.

The heaviest thing so far in my garbage bag is Percy. Poor, corroded Percy. You were a good train, but now it’s time for the landfill.

The take-out food is killing me. My trash bag smells like old lentil soup. But when you have kids, you have to feed them.

This is Umbra’s third entry in the series “Grist dared me to make a change.” Read the first and second here. And support her dare with a gift to Grist! Day 7, July 11: Meatless Monday/fun day Celebrate your independence from factory-farmed meat by enjoying veggie dogs, eggplant stacks and other delicious meatless grillables. Check out this eggplant stack inspired by Kim O’Donnel’s The Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook: Vegetarian Recipes Carnivores Will Devour. Day 8, July 12: Fixing the world Something broken in your life you’ve been meaning to fix? Button needs sewing? Pants need hemming? Today’s the day to …

You should be a vegetarian, and so should I. So I’m going to try it for one week, and drag my family along with me.

The plastic purge is over, and here’s what I’ve learned: Avoiding plastic makes you lose weight.

Grist dared me to wear nothing but thrift store clothes for a week. Dresses? No problem. Shoes — well, that’s another story.

My first thrift store ensemble is a huge hit, and prompts a lively chat about used underwear. Plus, I still need sneakers.

As I send my Trashtivist garbage bag off to the landfill, I wonder if that’s the kind of protest that really makes a difference these days.