As our month comes to a close on the eve of tonight: Sunday, February 21, Morgan and I are no longer required to remain vegetarian under the parameters of our challenge. It is hard to believe that it has already been one month... and just to take a look back at the progress we've made, here are some statistics regarding our ever shrinking carbon footprint:

According to the New York Times, the average American eats roughly 200 pounds of meat in a year, or roughly 0.55 pounds per day. So, by Morgan and I (two people) abstaining from meat for one month (30 days), we saved around 33 pounds of meat.

Just to put that in perspective for you, the production of that meat would have emitted enough greenhouse gases to power an SUV for 1,320 miles. And according to Goveg.com, each pound of meat requires 5000 gallons of water to produce; meaning that Morgan and I saved 165,000 gallons of water in only one month's time. The equivalent of not showering for 33 years!

As far as our shortened showers go, federal regulations dictate that a new shower head not use more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute. Assuming that we have a new shower head (which I believe we do), that our showers before this month were around 15 minutes in length, and that now our average shower time is more in the realm of 5-10 minutes, that means in only one month we saved, between the two of us, about 1,200 gallons of water!

I'm not sure how to calculate our cut backs based on reduced use of electricity, turning off the tap while brushing our teeth, or hand-washing dishes, but I'm sure that the combined reduction is great in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and water usage. One thing is for certain, we are making great progress in our new green lifestyle, and we have decided to continue vegetarianism as a trend, allowing leeway for the occasional family dinner.

When we first began our vegetarian challenge one month ago, I thought I would have some difficulties abstaining from meat. But to be honest with you, I didn't think twice about meat (with the exception of those fish sticks). Going vegetarian was easy, inexpensive, and delicious. It was a chance for me to reduce my carbon footprint, do my part for the planet, develop a healthier lifestyle, and improve my culinary skills. I can only hope that after reading an honest account of how easy it is to become vegetarian, that you feel a little inspired to try it yourself. I would not ask anybody to give up meat entirely, but even not eating meat for one day a week saves 0.55 pounds of meat and 2,750 gallons of water.

Remember that you can always make a difference, and that reducing your carbon footprint is not as daunting a task as it sounds. Good luck with your own challenges.

- Amber