Larry Sleznikow

The Coulee Region is blessed by adequate clean, fresh water. But the Wisconsin has not taken care to preserve and regulate its aquifers in the middle of the state. Some industries are pulling huge amounts of water from the ground with little oversight by the DNR and other regulatory agencies. This needs to stop. There are also states looking to draw upon the Great Lakes as a new source of fresh water and this needs to be carefully controlled. Moving toward more water conservation is important as well as keeping our fresh water free of pollutants, agricultural run-off, bacteria, and viruses.

I know I was not addicted to sugar, but I thought I ate more than I needed to. As I reduced my refined sugar intake, and sparingly used other sweeteners such as honey and maple syrup, it felt good to move in that direction.

"Necessity is the mother of invention." You have to love that proverb. We don't know who originally said it.

When it comes to practicing simplicity effectively, one has to be creative and inventive. There are many ways to accomplish something without first heading to amazon.com and entering your credit card information. 

You also can be creative by doing the same or more with less.  There is so much information online about living a more simple life and minimalism. Living more simply feels good, is challenging, and rewarding. And there is something new to try every day.  

My brother and I are in the process of finalizing our parents' estate. While they were both living, they managed to accumulate a lot over the years. We ended up with the responsibility of selling, donating, or giving away almost all of it. It's taken most of the summer and continues this fall. I do not want to burden my children with that, so I'm working to down-size my possessions. It will take some time, but I feel that if I start now, I will make the conscious effort to purchase less and sell or give away that which I no longer need. 

I need to spend more time thinking and reflecting on what is really important in my life and prioritizing my time accordingly. It's too easy to say yes to too many things rather than limiting one's commitments to that things that really matter.