Fresh Thyme is allowing customers to bring in reusable bags again but you have to bag your own. Couple of the workers who have gotten to know me over the past years were quite excited to see me walk in with my crate this evening. Long time ago I started using a collapsible storage crate for all of my groceries. I still can't use my mesh produce bags but at least I have my crate.

I spent time today with my Zoo friends (docents) in Forest Park. Even though it was a cloudy and chilly day, the colors were spectacular. Always fun to spend time in nature with friends.  I feel blessed to be part of the docent family at the St Louis Zoo......I have learned so much from my experiences with the Zoo.  

I will really miss this challenge and hope we can do it again.  I have learned so much and definitely want to continue researching on topics covered in my ecochallenge while reaching out to thank or praise someone every day.  A big thanks to Katie and Rachel for setting this up for us.  I'd like to end with a quote from Mr. Rogers (Fred):  
"We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility.  It's easy to say, 'It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.'  Then there are those who see the need and respond.  I consider those people my heroes."  Those of you who took this challenge and continue to practice what you've learned are also heroes!

While working on a challenge, I learned why all natives are called Indians!  When he landed in the Antilles, Columbus referred to the resident peoples he encountered there as "Indians", reflecting his belief that had reached the Indian Ocean.  The name stuck; for centuries the people of the Americas were collectively called "Indians" in various European languages (Wikipedia.org)

Found a definition of sustainability that fits my mission for this challenge.  Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.  In addition to natural resources, we also need social and economic resources. (www.mcgill.ca)

Every day during this challenge, I've tried to discover more about recycling.  I was surprised to read this about paper bags.  We all know that plastic is terrible for the environment, and that plastic bags, in particular, are clogging up our oceans, choking our wildlife and generally wreaking havoc on the world.  Because of this, and because the paper bag industry has positioned itself as the solution for decades now, we rarely stop to ask a critical question:  Is paper actually that much better? The truth is, no.  It's not.  Paper does a lot of damage to the Earth as well, and every time we unthinkingly grab a few bags at the checkout counter, we contribute to that damage.  A study by the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2011 revealed that it takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to manufacture a plastic bag.
The answer to "Paper or plastic?" should actually be "Neither...I brought my own."  (Even now when we can't always bring in our own bags, a few of our zoo volunteers taking this challenge provided a solution.  Just have the groceries placed in your cart and then use your own bags when you get to your car!  So appreciative of this great idea!)