Whether you are looking to help the earth, get some nutrient rich soil for your garden, or to simply reduce the amount of trash you send to the curb each week, composting is for you. I choose to compost because it makes sense to me to not throw items in the trash that don't really belong there, I don't want to fill our landfills with banana peals and orange rinds, which will quickly become soil in my backyard. Since composting is incredibly easy to do and requires virtually no time to make and maintain I suggest everyone start one to help reduce the destructive impact we have on the world.

I recently watched the documentary "The 11th Hour" a film that highlights the tremendous stress we have placed on the planet through our continual consumption and focus on economic growth with lack of regard for the natural world and our connection to it. The film indicates that we are at a breaking point and that a change in our treatment of our environment needs to happen now.

The mission to abstain from the use of our vehicles for an entire month has been completed! For the entire month of July we biked, walked, rollerbladed, ran, and on the rare occasion carpooled every where we went. Whether we were getting groceries, going to the beach, or going out to dinner we found another way to get there than using our vehicles.

Well it's been another week without cars and I'm still feeling pretty good about it. It was very pleasing to me to discover that when I've told people about what we've been doing (not driving) they get really excited about it and tell me how awesome it is. I didn't expect such a great reception. And it really has been a great experience, it's gotten me into better shape, has helped the earth, and has provided with perspective in relation to my vehicles and my appreciation towards what I have and the world around me.

It's now been a total of fourteen days without the use of our vehicles. And how has it been? Pretty awesome. I've come to realize that cars are very convenient and often seemingly necessary (and arguably necessary in some cases) but much of the time I was using my vehicles I was just being lazy.

On somewhat of a whim my family and I have made the decision to stop using our cars for the month of July. An easy feat or an incredible inconvenience? It depends who you ask. Many people simply use public transportation in larger cities or bike everywhere they need to go, while others don't know how they'd survive without their vehicles. And me, although I can't say I have missed using my vehicles too much this past week, I can easily throw upwards of 40,000 miles on my vehicles in a year. Hey, I like to travel. :)