I try to unplug appliances that are used infrequently to avoid any standby power draw.  Also, if I'm out of town, I'll unplug TV's and computers.  I wish I could unplug my router as well, but then I wouldn't be able to check in on my cats through the Nest Cam :)

It feels great to know that every day, I'm keeping a disposable cup out of the landfill by using my reusable cup for my daily coffee.

BTW... Contigo cups rule!

Food sovereignty addresses this complex transition by allowing communities to define and produce their own food systems. If a modification to a traditional food source is needed, the community can choose (and produce) a culturally appropriate food themselves.

When these decisions are dictated to a people the dictated item may be unacceptable for a variety of reasons (not a culturally sound practice, not something they can produce for themselves in their climate, etc.). Giving the power back to indigenous communities allows them to make these highly personal and important decisions for themselves.

All the faucets in my new house have been inspected, and the one leak that was discovered is being repaired today. Woot! I can't wait to start collecting rain water to water outdoor plants and use my new water efficient dishwasher. I love water. 

So, someone knocked on my door last week. I assumed it was a solicitation call...and in some ways it was, but in a good way. It was a Portland Clean Air volunteer, and being new to the area, I loved learning more about their organization. They showed me a map of my neighborhood and pointed out the contributors to pollution, and what's being done about it. We must have talked for 20 minutes, but the next day I went online and learned even more: http://portlandcleanair.org/

Two-sided printing is great for most everything, but there are certain City Council related items that are required to be single-sided. And to take it a step further, I think sometimes we don't need to use paper at all. I'd love to see greater utilization of online resources whenever possible - and since most of our meeting rooms are equipped with A/V equipment, why not project agendas on the wall? Could we start this movement? I think we can...