Lin Orndorf

I have yet to complete this challenge, but I can't climb a ladder and would still need hep reaching the fixtures. I have the bulbs and will get my wife and our roommate to help. 

There are so many ways each of us can protect our environment AND reduce carbon emissions! Something I do when I walk my dogs is pick up their poop and any litter we find. Dog poop in urban areas is unpleasant to come across, and it contributes to poor water quality, so it's better to bag it. I often find cans and bottles along the road in my neighborhood when I'm walking my dogs, and I always pick up what I can carry. Then I put it in the recycling can. Recycling saves energy and resources avoids the production of a lot of carbon emissions. 

We also conserve energy at home by setting the thermostat a little higher in the summer (a little lower in the winter), and when we are not going to be home. We also turn-off or unplug devices when we aren't using them, and try to replace appliances with the most efficient ones we can buy. We use cold water only for laundry and hang at least half our laundry outside to air dry. 

We are eating less meat, more veggies, and supporting more local businesses, including our CSA farmer. And I still feed the worms with my compost bins. I know there's more I could do, and I will keep doing more. I also teach college students about all these issues and more. With more of us doing small things, and more of us compelling our elected officials, at all levels to do more, I know we will do the right thing.

I don't think we can address big systems problems or "wicked" problems with anything other than creative thinking. Conventional thinking will only find answers to treat the symptoms of problems while otherwise maintaining the status quo, which will more deeply imbed those big systems problems into our society. To overcome many of our challenges, we need to be creative, innovative, and collaborative across disciplines and demographics. The best solutions will also address more than one problem simultaneously.

I have found that the easiest way to reduce my screen time, is to avoid turning on the TV, computer, or looking at my phone for as long as possible. Rather than turn it on shortly after I get home from work, I've been leaving those devices off for at least an hour and using that time for other things. On the weekend, I was able to leave the computer and TV turned off until very late in the evening.

Choosing how to spend non-screen time was only challenging because there are several other things I like to do and could be doing if I wasn't watching TV. Picking one thing is hard, but I started by reading a magazine article about the positive effects of trees and plants on human health and well-being, especially in urban environments, and having a conversation with my wife. One enhances my knowledge base and better equips me to teach about sustainability. Other enhances my personal sustainability by strengthening a personal relationship from which I derive emotional support.