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How did you go witht his month's challenges? Tick them off here to see how well you did...
This month on nzgirl our theme is Go Green – so we’ve come up with some clever challenges designed to help you get well and truly into the eco-friendly spirit.
Stick with us, and by the end of the month you’ll be an eco goddess – with a bit of extra cash in your pocket as well…
TAME
Clean the streets
Next time you walk past some old rubbish on the road, pick it up and chuck it in the nearest bin. Imagine if everyone did this at least once a day – how much cleaner would our streets, beaches and parks be?! Afraid of picking up some scummy germs? Just carry a mini bottle of hand sanitizer in your bag. Easy!  Natural skincare
Combine fun, money saving and eco-friendliness all in one. Say no to dodgy, overloaded chemical makeup and skincare (like nzgirl Anya did last year!) and either go for organic skincare with brands like Trilogy and Avalon Organics, or go the full hog and make your own natural skincare products (click for some great DIY recipes).
Recycle
All the little things count – don’t think there’s no different
between throwing your empty can of coke into the big, blue .jpg)
recycle bin as opposed to the normal old garbage. Make an effort to find out what can go in your recycle bin, and do you best to make sure that’s where you chuck it.
Shop green Do you best to stop supporting companies and stores that are all about cost cutting at the environment’s expense. Simple things like avoiding battery farm chickens and eggs, and buying fair trade coffee and chocolate all help. Also try to support local, small businesses where you can. INTERMEDIATE Sort out your diet once and for all by eating less processed foods, and aim to up your intake of homemade food and fresh fruits and veggies. make the process easy, try planning your meals in advance (click for great weekly meal ideas). Cut your power usage Do you need to have that heater on full bore all day? Do you need to take 15 minute showers? Answer – no! Make a conscious effort to cut your power bill by a quarter. Turn  appliances off at the switch, don’t use more than you need. You'll have a cheaper bill and know you've used less of the world’s energy resources!
Don’t buy anything you don’t need
For the entire month of August don’t buy anything you don’t need. If you can survive without it – don’t hand your card over. That means no new dresses, fancy shoes, illustrious hair products or fancy appliances. CHALLENGING  Raise money for a good causePick a charity and do your best to raise or donate as much money as you can for them in a month. We love the $1000 Breast Cancer Research Trust Challenge – which encourages kiwis to have a go at raising an ambitious $1000 donation to help find a cure for breast cancer. If you don't have wads of cash to give away, think creatively about how you can raise the money – maybe you could bake and sell 1000 cupcakes for $1 each, walk 100 dogs for $10 each or load all your old things on to Trade Me and sell ‘em.  Plan a volunteer trip abroad – or do it locallyVolunteering is a great way to help those less fortunate than yourself – and there are some amazing people and organisations that you can help. If you’ve got an adventurous streak you could think about volunteering overseas – maybe at a Panda Reserve in China or helping street kids in Cambodia (like nzgirl Lauren did!)? These once in a lifetime opportunities are yours if you’re game enough to take them – think of a cause that matters to you and do a little google search. Or volunteer closer to home at a local organisation like the SPCA. .jpg) Green investmentsIf you’ve got money to invest – why not invest it wisely? Go for green (otherwise known as ‘socially responsible’) investments; projects which aren’t environmentally or socially damaging. Do your research and make sure you’re money isn’t being put into funding causes which are doing the earth and others harms – this way you can be sure that your money is doing good and working for you at the same time. Find out more about socially responsible investments here.
Ramarea
In the theme of going green - ever thought about a career in the New Zealand Army? If you love keeping fit and active, travelling and expanding your mind, it could be just the thing for you! Army life is a lot different to what you probably think it is – say hello to being paid to keep in shape, work in a job you love, travel and keep your social life! Click here to find out more…
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