The GreenBlue Walk the Walk Challenge

As an organization that is committed to sustainability, we are always looking for new inspiration to improve our own environmental footprint. One way we are doing that is by participating in the Charlottesville Area Better Business Challenge, which is a friendly competition among local businesses to help them identify ways to reduce the impacts of their day-to-day operations on the environment. I have wanted to improve my own habits and being a part of the business challenge has motivated me to act. One area I would like to address is the packaging waste I create from takeout food (especially from work-day lunches). To take this one step further and get others involved, I came up with the idea for the GreenBlue Walk the Walk Challenge:
The concept: A new challenge is issued each month by one GreenBlue staff member to all staff, and the topic must relate to our work in some way. This is voluntary; so, each person will decide whether or not to commit to this year-long challenge.
The goal: To create better habits that can decrease our impact on the environment, with the intent that we build on each new good habit as the year progresses.
The kicker: If you slip, you have to put $1 in the donation jar for each offense. At the end of the each month, we write about how it went on this blog and total our funds. Then at the end of the year, we select an environmental charity to receive our “kicker funds”.
The twist: The person who initiates the challenge topic in one month tags someone for the following month.
March topic: Come up with creative ways to reduce waste from food and drink packaging.
Basic challenge: Do not use any disposable food/drink carry-out containers (That’s right, no coffee cups, pizza boxes, or Chinese food take-out boxes) or associated paraphernalia (plastic bags, plastic utensils, chopsticks, etc). At home or in the office!
Extra credit: Do not create any food/drink packaging waste.
So, get in the habit of bringing your reusable food and drink containers with you!
Hey, In the Loop Readers, you can participate in our challenge too!  Don’t forget to let us know how you do each month. Also, we will solicit topic ideas from our blog readers for one of our challenges (keep your eyes peeled).
Who’s on board?
Oh, and by the way, tag you’re it: Paul Giacherio! Stay tuned for Paul’s April challenge…

I’m armed with my reusable containers. My food container is made by To-Go Ware (to-goware.com) and I purchased it locally at the Blue Ridge Eco Shop, where they have a variety of reusable food containers. On the FAQ page of their website, To-Go Ware addresses what type of stainless steel is used in the lunch containers and where they are manufactured – for details, visit the To-Go Ware website.