Mar Vista Drawdown

I've been avoiding this question - I think reflection is hard for me, because there's always SOMETHING to do, and I get caught up in the immediate here and now needs of my day-to-day, and am not good at stepping back and looking at the big picture. I can plan ahead for events or goals, but big picture thinking causes me anxiety. I think those...

It helps alleviate stress, which I think it the hardest part of working in the modern era, so much of my daily life and work is indoors, and on a computer screen. My eyes get tired from screen time, my posture suffers and I get back problems. Walking outside gives me fresh air, much needed movement, and a visual rest for my eyes. Greenery is...

I get to enjoy the flowers and trees so much more, the smells and the fresh air. I very rarely open the windows when I'm driving, because of exhaust fumes. I don't get enough fresh outdoor air unless I take daily walks. 

It's hard to quantify. I know I have more systemic health issues when I'm under stress, because it weakens my immune system, but also when I'm stressed I tend to eat more processed/ready-made foods. Things like plastics leaching chemicals and smog in LA is harder to measure or know the impact of because they are slow and gradual build ups over...

Stopping the fracking in the Inglewood Oil Field - it's so close, and has the potential to negatively impact the health of our community. Support the 2500' buffer zones for schools and residential near oil wells, it would make a HUGE difference in oil practices in LA. 

I'm going to try to purchase things with less packaging, and bring my own packaging for bulk items purchases.

I did a waste audit of my household monthly trash accumulation. Here are the results: chip bags (3) cotton swabs (12) dryer lint granola bar wrappers (4) cheese wrapping (3) biscuits packaging peanut butter seal wine bottle cap butter wrappers (2) peanut butter cup wrappers (2) used gift card cheese rinds chapstick container fake...

I think the disconnect between purchasing, waste, and impact is because of our culture of convenience, the normalizing of plastics and packaging everywhere, for everything. We have a culture not only of speed, excess, and convenience, but also of disconnect and compartmentalization. Our products are prepackaged, pre-compartmentalized into...

I think the concept that our primary purpose is celebration is interesting - what would it be like to truly celebrate each day? One of the rituals I really love at an intentional outdoor music festival is that every day, there are people who sit and watch the sunset, or people who watch the sunrise (mostly having stayed up all night, but...

Practicing gratitude reminds me of how many good things there are in the world, and in my life. How much I have to be joyful of, and how much harder I want to work to protect, care for, and grow the things I love.