Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 10: Overall Project Reflection

It is already the last week of my eco-chic lifestyle change! BUT this does not mean may change will stop at a dead hault. Everything I have taken from this experience will stick with me and so will many of the habits I have picked up due to it, as well as the class.


My original SMART goal was to not eat any red meat and eat less than 2 servings of other meats per week.
Of course this was a difficult step for me in the beginning, but i very quickly realized that the hardest part was just making that decision. As I got used to it, I decided to incorporate a hault on dairy into my goal as well. This non dairy step was not as precise so it was harder to measure, but I was able to say that I completely stopped buying both cheese and milk, so I know that was a definite change. Eventually I incorporated smaller everyday changes into my goal as well, such as using a metal refillable water bottle instead of buying disposable plastic water bottles. I also bought cloth grocery bags so I don't have to make the tough decision of paper or plastic when I go to the grocery store (and of course don't have to get disposable bags that are bad for the environment). 


There were many variables that added to my success in this goal. Feeling better about my impact on the environment as well as my health was the number one variable. I also impacted others behaviors with my changes which was awesome! There were a few things that did get in the way such as family meals when I went home that usually involved red meat, so there were probably 2-3 times during this change that I have had red meat, but that is much better than I expected. In the future I hope to take part in more of the cooking when I go back home, and maybe try converting my parents to ground turkey over ground beef!


This project benefited me much more than I expected. I thought this decision to stop eating red meat may result in a failure. Not that I don't have faith in myself, but I just never expected it to happen. Education in good nutrition is something I possess, so I know that eating red meat is really not a good choice for me, so having that extra push to TRY going without it for awhile was great!! I realized I could do it. I even impacted those around me. My boyfriend actually took part in the project with me almost 100%, and now he is also trying to cut out red meat and dairy completely even after I'm done with the project. I also impacted my parents and my brother a little bit; they have been forced to try a few meatless dishes. I cooked wild rice burgers for them one time and they loved it, so I gave them the recipe and they now have one item they can make that is meat free! 


I plan to continue this behavior. I cooked plenty of meat free meals this semester so now cooking them on a weekly basis is more of a habit than a limit. 


I think anyone who is even considering making a lifestyle change, even if it is extremely minimal should know that it's easiest taking it one small step at a time. And, just deciding to make that change is the hardest part, once it is a mind set it becomes a habit just like brushing your teeth! For me, just having it down in writing that I am not going to eat meat was one of the biggest parts. Also the process of incorporating meals into my diet that didn't have meat got easier as I began learning new recipes and tried cooking with substitutes.


blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 10 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy.
 Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 10