Boldest Action Winner: Brian S - don't brush off the easy challenges

Category: Environment
Challenge: Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth
Sponsor: Nature's Gate
Action: I have been bold twice a day for 25 years!

The call to turn off the tap while brushing your teeth was challenged on Bolder the day that I turned 25. I might have brushed off the challenge (pun very much intended) as too easy - doesn't everyone turn off the water while polishing the pearly whites? But then it hit me - I have been acting bold every day, twice a day, my entire life. That is BOLD!

This challenge isn't about just doing it once. It is about forming a habit that you will take you through your next 25 years. In fact, all the challenges posed on Bolder shouldn't be viewed as a temporary change to snag some awesome rewards. Changing your habits is the way to make people notice and change the world!

(we agree Brian, congrats!)

Boldest Action Winner: Brittany S discovers new recycling frontiers

Category: Environment
Challenge: Start recycling something new
Sponsor: Tom's of Maine
Action: I have tons of old CD's that I don't want anymore. Instead of selling them or throwing them out, I'm going to recycle them :)

Spring cleaning came a little early for me this year. My room has been a chaotic mess lately, all my stuff still in boxes from my big move a few months ago. One weekend, I decided enough was enough and completely cleaned and reorganized my room. When all was said and done, I had a pile of things that I was looking to get rid of, including a stack of old CDs and DVDs.

A few days later, I came across a challenge on Bolder. The challenge was to start recycling something new. I rattled my brain and thought, "what do I have an abundance of that I could recycle?" I remembered that about a year ago we had some old disks lying around at work and a coworker of mine had decided to recycle them. So I talked with him, did some research, and found a place in my area that recycled CDs and DVDs. Recycling old disks had never crossed my mind before! I was so happy to find a new way to be environmentally friendly. I've been vegan for 2 years now, so I love finding new ways to recycle or help the environment in any way.

Boldest Action Winner: Erin S makes lunch a picnic because... why not?

Category: Environment
Challenge: Eat outside under a tree
Sponsor: ALITE
Action: I just ate my sandwich under a tree in my backyard. Then I picked an apple from said tree and ate it. Boom.

Erin's Thoughts:
I have definitely been a lifelong fan of the picnic, and am usually harassing my friends to head to the park with me to enjoy some food and fun in the sunshine on the weekends. During the week, however, I have been neglecting outdoor eating and opting for eating at my desk while a stare at a computer. And I often see my co-workers do the same.

I recently moved to the bay area and I am currently living in a place with a backyard for the first time in many years. And not just any backyard, but a backyard filled with fruit trees, vegetable plants, flowers, and inviting lawn furniture. However, I realized when the "eat outside under a tree" challenge was posted that I hadn't once eaten outside in my beautiful new backyard, and that I was severly underutilizing the free fruit available. So, that very day I ate my sandwich under an apple tree and enjoyed the fruit afterwards. Since then I have made it a point to eat a few meals a week outside if possible, and to at least venture out to the yard and pick the fruit. Currently enjoying: pomegranite season.

I hope to enjoy many more meals outside, whether it be in a park near my office during the week, or in my backyard on weekends. I encourage other Bolder members to get out and get their daily dose of Vitamin D as well!

Boldest Action Winner: Michelle O packs two waste free lunches a day!

Category: Environment
Challenge: Pack a waste free lunch
Sponsor: ReUsies
Action: I pack my children their lunches in reusable sandwich wraps and containers

Michelle O's Thoughts
Packing a waste free lunch for my sons helps on so many different levels. First, it is just the right thing to do. Creating waste is not good for us, the earth or future generations. Second, it is financially much cheaper. We are not wasting money on plastic baggies or plastic wrap. Third, it is setting a good example for my children. They will learn the importance of conservation and healthy living.

My son is in first grade and I started this year with packing his lunch in reusable wraps and trying to make it waste free. The challenge is being organized enough to make sure the wraps are clean and ready to go for the next day. I sometimes make up for this by buying a few more wraps. If you can not do that, a good way to create biodegradable waste is to buy butcher/deli paper and wrap the sandwiches in that. As far as snacks I use reusable containers... I want to find something better, but until then, I just reuse the Tupperware.

See the picture of my beautiful boys, who are my inspirations to be a better person every day!

Boldest Action Winner: 1:19 minute shower (the novel) with Scott B

Category: Environment
Challenge: Master the 4 minute shower
Sponsor: Chivas Skin Care
Action: There's a new sheriff in town, and his name is Scooter. Stepped in when it was cold as ice, soaped and scrubbed, enjoyed 20 seconds of hot!

Scott's Thoughts
The makings of a 1 minute 19 second shower.

First, I must confess I enjoy a long shower. I find it relaxing to stand beneath a pour
of hot water and let the stresses of the day drip away. Based on this, it’s a good
thing that Bolder challenges me to rethink my everyday actions and inspires me
to make minor changes, that over the long run, could create a significant, positive
impact.

The truth is, whether I take a long shower or a short shower, there is no real impact
on the quality of life I lead. I am likely not any more cleanly, fragrant, or relaxed
in my everyday dealings. I recognize this. No one needs to convince me of it.
However, I’m American, and furthermore, I’m spoiled. I overlook the luxuries I have
on a daily basis. I would normally take a much longer shower simply because it is a
habit I have created. For many areas of the world, the notion of a hot shower for any
period of time is a luxury.

Despite my casual lifestyle and tendencies towards comfort and leisure, I am well
versed in a sub-four-minute shower. I grew up in Hawaii, and as a result, I spent a
lot of time at the beach. In Hawaii, most of the beaches have public showers. After
surfing or swimming in the water, it was always necessary to shower to prevent
a sand dune from building up on the bottom of my car. The public showers didn’t
have heated water, and were often very cold as the sun set. By default, I had no
option but to take a quick shower, as I couldn’t bare the cold water for more than a
couple minutes.

When I saw this challenge on bolder and I didn’t see anyone going under the 2
minute mark, I knew it was time to step up to the plate. I was certain I could fully
shower, soap, and scrub myself in less than 2 minutes. The plan was executed to
perfection:

Step 1: Undress and set timer
Step 2: Turn on shower
Step 3: Jump in
Step 4: Shiver and get wet
Step 5: Soap and shampoo
Step 6: Scrub like a mad man
Step 7: Rinse
Step 8: Turn it off

Boom! 1 minute 19 seconds.

I came out smelling great and feeling great. I should note that my shower typically
takes a minute to warm up. So it was mostly a cold ride to victory. If you want to
master the 2-minute shower, you’re likely going to have to jump in when it’s cold. If
you simply want to go sub 4 minutes, well the second place medal is resting on the
hot water handle.

Tips on how to shorten your shower:
• Get in when it’s still cold. It will wake you up and give you that fresh feeling.
• Get your soap ready before hand. If you use a scrubber, soap it up in
advance.
• You don’t always have to shampoo! For most hair, it’s best to shampoo every
2 or 3 days so that your hair can build up its natural oils.
• Don’t waste time rinsing. You only need to wash off the soap, and that
usually washes off pretty quick.

It is possible to take a shower even faster than the time I posted. For anyone who
has ever lived in an environment where water is a scarcity, you probably already
know how to take a 1-minute shower or less. There is one trick you could use
to save a lot of water and easily shorten your shower time, even if you like a hot
shower. When you are soaping up and scrubbing, turn off the water. Only use water
when you need it, to get wet and to wash off.

Now it’s time for me to go running and get dirty. Cheers!

Boldest Action Winner: Haig C on local beer discovery (and keeping his dollars close to home)

Category: Environment
Challenge: Enjoy a locally made brew
Sponsor: PocketToolX
Action: Dogfishead! Yum

Haig's Thoughts:
Picking a local brew vs. one from far away - Dogfishhead is local (about 3 hours) from the DC metro area and they do make great beers. I am partial to their 60 Minute IPA, but fall into the category of equal opportunity beer drinker. I do try to drink local craft brews when I travel since you often find great beers that you often can't find at home or simply didn't know about. Either way it makes travel even more fun when you are drinking a new and different beer in a new and different location.

And I definitely steer clear of the mega brews that advertise heavily but seem to focus more on their marketing budget than on developing any real taste. I do feel good about supporting the smaller breweries but feel that it is mutually beneficial. They get my money and I get a much better tasting beer. What's not to like! And, thankfully my friends enjoy drinking craft brews as well.

Boldest Action Winner: Katherine C takes the 'workout clothes' challenge to new heights

Category: Environment
Challenge: Go a week without washing your workout clothes
Sponsor: Atayne
Action: Do I get bonus points if I go a month, or just lose friends? Because I regularly go 2 weeks, but a month would be a new challenge!

Katherine's thoughts:
Going a month without washing my clothes was only a challenge in that I had to change my habits somewhat and skip my usual every-other-Sunday laundry routine. Most people (including me) have more than one pair of workout clothes (I have 2 pairs of shorts). With strategic shower-washing of the pair you wear, simple actions to keep everyday clothes cleaner (or resign yourself to not care, as I did!), and quick rinsing of underwear in the shower, going a month without doing laundry isn't too difficult and actually saves time!

I encourage others to rethink their clothes-washing habits: excessive washing wears out your clothes faster, for one, and it takes time and energy that you could spend playing outside. Skipping a washing or two really isn't too difficult, and if you try it once, you'll see how easy it is and maybe wash less in the future! I now only wash my clothes once every 3 weeks. Over the course of a year, that's 9 fewer washings or about 9 more hours I can spend doing something more fun than laundry.

Boldest Action Winner: Kati J's 2' x 2' prolific urban garden

Category: Environment
Challenge: Go Organic
Sponsor: Gaiam
Action: We have a 2'x2' deck off my SF apt. we have 6 tomato plants, 1 lemon tree, catnip, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, a basil plant.

Kati's Thoughts:
The story goes that before i moved to San Francisco, I lived in Cleveland where I had a fantastic little garden. I dragged wave washed stones from the Lake Erie shore to line the garden, and had the most amazing eggplant of my life. After i moved to the San Francisco, I lived in an apartment where I had no room for plants, not even a window ledge herb garden.

Since I moved in with my boyfriend, he had a the little deck area that was begging to be utilized. we decided some wine barrels cut in half would be enough acreage for this little apartment. Chris wanted a lemon tree in one barrel, and I knew I could grow tomatoes in the other. One thing lead to another and a $100 bucks later I had rosemary, thyme, chives, basil, two kinds of sage, lavender and cat nip for a special kitty. The best part was getting four more tomato plants from a friend who had too many. We've made pasta sauce twice now, chives for every omelet, tomatoes for salad, and sage on our butternut squash last night! Mmm.. its so rewarding to know you can grow even the smallest amount of food, in a small space. Viva la urban gardeners!

Boldest action winner: Kathy B takes one for the (pooch) team & has a challenge for you!

Challenge: Pick up litter
Challenge Sponsor: Sports Basement
Kathy's Action: Picked up 3 extra bags of dog poo on Bernal Hill while walking my pooches, in part using a bag that I found on the ground!
Bold Votes: 7

Kathy B's Thoughts:
Love walking my pups (well, senior pups) every day. They are pretty small guys, so one bag for poop pickup is enough – if I am only picking up theirs. BUT, I almost always an extra bag or two with me and often find myself saying “karma, karma, karma” as I reach down and grab something left behind by another dog. Actually I should left by a person, since the dogs are, well, dogs. They have no opposable thumbs. I’m pretty sure their owners do – perhaps they are lacking some other human characteristic. Then there are the times when I pick up a plastic bag stuck in the brush and am able to use it to pick up even MORE poop.

I’m not someone who picks up every piece of trash I see although I do wonder if it would be possible to convince everyone to pick up five pieces of random trash every time they go for a walk and what the result would be. I’ll make that commitment now if everyone else reading this will too.

Boldest action winner: Chris S uses cold/cold and line dries to get his jeans feeling like his favorite drink!

Challenge: Wash your clothes on the cold/cold cycle
Challenge Sponsor: Seventh Generation
Chris' Action: Wash on cold/cold and hang dry the load. That's my mantra. And it keeps my denim dark and stiff just like my drinks
Bold Votes: 8

Chris' Thoughts:
Washing on cold/cold and line drying is a two fold (no pun intended) operation. It means I'm saving energy and increasing efficiently all while saving a little a little cash on the dryer too. I'll be honest, it started out as a necessity. I'm a tall guy and I can't usually afford even a 1/2 in shrink in the length of my clothes but what started out as self serving quickly became an enlightened way of life. In college I spent quite some time abroad where indeed line drying is a necessity and I realized: your clothes stay nicer, darker, and stiffer (these are pluses for denim or so I'm told) and it's better for the environment! Wow. I once read that 40% of the carbon footprint of a garment comes in the post consumer segment of its life from drying! Lame. So now in SF I dry most of my clothes on the shower rod, and for the record I take Makers Mark with one cube. :-)

Boldest action winner: Jesse M gains temporary fame for bringing his own bags!

Challenge: Say no to a disposable bag at checkout
Challenge Sponsor: Rickshaw Bags
Jesse's Action: The checkout girl at Safeway was so excited I was using a backpack that she announced it over the intercom
Bold Votes: 11

Jesse's Thoughts:
Using your own bag for groceries is the way to go. It's more or less a necessity for me because I'm either biking to the grocery store or taking my moped (see pic) and there's absolutely no sensible way to be carrying plastic bags while trying to stay alive on the streets of SF. Carrying my own bag is also great because it limits what I buy to just the necessities... Beer. Only joking, but it really forces me to plan out what I am buying because I don't have all kinds of extra room. As a result I save money and don't end up wasting food that goes bad before I can eat it.

In addition to everything above - sometimes bringing your own bag even gets you some temporary fame. The girl at the checkout counter at Safeway was in a phenomenal mood and was so happy I said no to plastic that she announced it over the intercom. If you always forget to bring a reusable bag to the store, try keeping one near the front door so you see it as you exit or next to your keys or something. I always remember to bring mine when I see it sitting next to my moped helmet.

George B voted Boldest action of Teecycle.org's challenge 'give something old a new life.'

Category: The Environment
Sponsor: Teecycle.org
Action: Give something old a new life
Blurb: "I went exploring in the forest, found a massive gear in what I can only assume was a logging machine, and have now made it into an ornament!"
Bold Votes: 11

George's thoughts:
A dear friend of mine decided that we should go hiking one day after a trip to a local farmers' market. Admittedly, I was skeptical, my friend having a reputation for frightening and dangerous excursions, but I was feeling particularly adventurous that day, and so I decided to follow him along. Twenty minutes of driving later, we had gone past a derelict lumber yard, and had traversed our way down a winding road that led into a pleasantly remote forest grove. My hopes, at this point, were reasonably high.

Further walking into this grove, and then over a rusting chain-mail fence, led us into what I can only describe as a machinery grave-yard. Massive logging machines stood abandoned all around us, with gigantic rusting appendages reaching towards the sky like the limbs of dying men. It was quite a sight. After some initial exploring around the small field, we began looking more closely at these machines, when I stumbled upon this gear jutting out of the sand. It was large and rather rusty, but immediately it grabbed my attention.

Taking it from the yard seemed, rather than stealing, something of an act of protective anthropology, or perhaps even archaeology. This gear was a reminder, not only of the destruction that these machines had wrought on the forest (that was now quickly taking back over), but also the ingenuity and drive of humans to overcome their natural environments. Upon bringing it home, I gave it a small wash and it now sits on my bedside table as an ornament/bookend. I'm hoping to find another one soon to compliment this little fellow!

Wyles V. takes Boldest action of the challenge for his 35 mile daily bike commute!

Category: The Environment
Sponsor: Mike's Bikes
Action: Bike a 2 mile trip
Blurb: "Beginning the second week of daily 35 mile round trip bike commute...over the Sepulveda pass. It's killer but gets me going for the day"
Bold Votes: 11

Wyles' thoughts:
I'm not sure why I force myself to wake up 45 minutes earlier to bike the pothole and glass-ridden streets over Sepulveda into the valley when I could easily catch a ride with a carpool, but for some reason, I do. It's hard to get out of bed and get suited up, but once I'm on the bike, I'm relaxed and comfortable, because my route is set and I can focus on the ride itself, as I would if I was just going on a training ride. Riding to work gives me two decent workouts in one day, a day that I would probably not ride otherwise. I arrive at work more awake, and actually look forward to getting to sit down at my desk to rest my legs (and do a little work). I'm not in killer shape, but I'm getting good at dodging shredded tires, empty bottles, and distracted drivers. Hopefully I'll make it through the end of the summer and best my time record of an hour and 6 minutes for the hilly 17 miles.

Boldest Action of the Challenge: "Bike to work, school, or transit" with Scott B.

Scott's Action:
I bike and train it to work everyday. You'll see me bombing polk street in the mornings hitting speeds close to mach 3.
Bold votes: 7

Scott's thoughts:
I wake up late, after hitting the snooze button multiple times. I do this intentionally to be honest. The later I wake up, the less time I have to make it to the Caltrain, so the faster I have to ride my bike. Google's bike route tells me I should set aside at least 25 minutes for my route. From experience, I know I can do it in 14. This is not a casual 14, but rather a full blown sprint that weaves through lanes of stopped cars, cranks through yellow lights, out races other bikers, ultimately leaving me wanting to collapse.

I give myself 20 minutes: 14 for the ride itself, 3 for buying coffee at the station, and an additional 3 for unforeseen obstacles. There’s nothing like a sense of urgency to bring out the bold in all of us.

6:24 am

Snap my helmet clip, double click my rear light to blink mode, hastily roll the right leg of my pants up, buckle the chest strap on my bag, glasses on, and PEDAL. I’m zero to mach 3 in just under 5 seconds. Legs pound pound pound up the first 3 hills. From here it’s a mile and a half of straight down hill. I bomb Polk, and I peak in the windows of all the cars I pass. I must admit, I derive great pleasure from passing stressed out drivers stuck in traffic. Get a bike!

I have all the one-way streets memorized and it’s just a matter of keen observation and quick reflexes that allow me to navigate the bumpy roads while avoiding being plowed by oncoming cars. Once I hit Market, things slow down. I hate the market intersection because I actually have to use my brakes. I wait and I wait, my muscles get a moment to breathe, but only a moment. The yellow light of opposing traffic equals go time, pound, pound, pound, my butt above the seat. From here on out it’s mostly flat. I flip my derailleur into low gear and pedal like a madman. I feel like a child again, riding my red racer through the streets of my hometown. The wind catches my hair and blows it off my head like wild fire. The cold air of the mornings dries my lips and throat. My nose drips and I wipe it carelessly on my sleeve. Pound, pound, pound, I glance at the time, no time to waste. Butt up, full weight on each leg as I stomp my way to victory. Lactic acid builds, my lungs burn, my heart beats through my shirt, no time to lose, got to make my train.

I fly through the finish line and squeeze both brakes hard. My wheels lock and I glide to stop. I love the smell of burnt rubber in the morning.

Drink my coffee, load the train, and throw some Led Zeppelin on the iPod, no better way to start the morning.

Life is short, act BOLDER.

Boldest Action of the Challenge: "Be more energy efficient" with Lillian M.

Lillian's action:
Installed a thing (technical term!) that displays our real-time energy use on a website. We watch it drop when we turn off lights, so cool!

Lillian's thoughts:
There's nothing like immediate visual feedback to make you notice how small actions can have an effect. When one of my wonderful housemates installed a internet-ready power meter in our new house, we were super excited to see the results. We can check into a website to see our past electricity use (and graphs!) as well as a live display. When we first set it up, we ran around the house turning off lights to see the immediate drops. The next step is to put in our utility costs, so that we can figure out what time of day is the cheapest... I'm thinking 3am cold cycle laundry will become the next big thing!

Boldest Action of the Challenge: "Reuse something you normally throw away" with Shelley M.

Shelley M. on why this action matters:

I realized that I have been wasting plastic bags by just throwing them out each day after I use them to carry my lunch. When I was given a large sturdy plastic bag in Hawaii ( It's even a biodegradable one) from the grocery store, I thought " this one is worth bringing home."

I stuffed it in my suitcase and decided to see how long I could possibly keep re-using the same bag once I got home. So far it has lasted for about 5 months. When I calculate that I would have likely thrown out 100 bags if I had used a different one for my lunch each day for 5 months.. it has become part of my routine to save bags and re-use them in whatever way possible. I plan to keep re-using this bag until it self-disintegrates. It may even move across the country with me in 2 months when I leave CA!

I challenge you to try it and think about how something as simple as re-using 1 plastic bag can go a long way towards reducing waste and ultimately benefiting our environment.

Rowing just isn't enough with Austin K.

Bolder Action:
Ride my bicycle to the boathouse for practice.

What led you to do this action?
As a rower I am dedicated to the never ending quest for fitness. I began biking to the boathouse before practice in order to get an extra 30 minutes of cardio in, but it has become much more than that. Biking allows you to appreciate your surroundings in a way that is impossible in a car. I've managed to get a couple of my teammates to join me on my rides and ultimately I hope to get enough to come that we can take one of our team vehicles off the road. It's a win-win: get fit while not polluting the air!

Are you still doing this action?
I bike the 18-mile round trip as often as I can, usually 2-3 times a week.

Cleaning the Yampa with Erica E.

Bolder Action:
Cleaning the Yampa River in a kayak. Doing it one golf ball and one beer can at a time.

What led you to this action?
A current can control you in a split second unless you know how to respect it and work harmoniously with it. As water becomes more scarce, Colorado was forced to decide whether or not to redirect flow away from the Yampa river, essentially demolishing the ability to raft, kayak, and tube. Seeing beer cans and other debris in the river frustrates me, and indicates that some people don't respect the beauty and power of a more scarce resource. Every time when I get out off of the river and empty my boat, someone at the take-out sees the power of one person's action to respect what we have. It makes me feel bold!

Are you still doing this action?
Yes, every time I'm on the Yampa I look and remove debris. As for when we take trips on harder rivers where grabbing stuff off of the bottom isn't as plausible, I help make sure that our group leaves no trace.

Gettin' fed with Shelley M.

Bolder Action (BA):
Shop at the local Menlo Park Farmer's market and subscribe to a local CSA (community supported agriculture)

What led you to do this action?
I realized that not only are fresh, organic fruits and veggies healthier for me, but sustainable agriculture is also healthier for our environment. Furthermore, I get a sense of satisfaction when I support my local farmers, and I feel more connected to the local men and women who labor for our enjoyment of food . It's also empowering to know where my food comes from and that it was grown without harmful pesticides or other chemicals. There is no comparison to the taste of extremely fresh and pure fruits and veggies either!

Are you still doing this action?
Yes, I visit the former's market nearly every Sun morning and just renewed my CSA subscription for this year!