Got out in the garden again today! still working on making that a habit - I was hoping the challenge would make me do it, but there were quite a few days I forgot to check on my lil' baby lettuces. It's hilarious to garden with Ramona though, she keeps pulling up the plants and eating them.
What do you think contributes to people in North America eating more meat than in other places, and what does this say about North American values and ways of living? How do we start shifting a meat-focused food culture?
Of all the things I committed to, eating all meals without distraction has been the hardest one. I realized that even before smart phones, before personal computers, I have always had the habit of reading while eating - I did it at my kitchen table in high school with the newspaper! I think this one is somewhat of a tangential sustainability goal, but mindfulness has its benefit to personal wellbeing, which is of course huge for sustainability. I'm still working on this one.
Social media is a great way to keep us connected with loved ones, makes us laugh, and helps us to learn new things. It can also take more time than we realize or intend to give. After doing this action for a few days now, how do you feel? What do you notice?
I always feel better when I limit social media, especially nowadays when the newsfeed isn't just friends and puppies, it's all sorts of really bad news. I can't stick my head in the sand about environmental news of course, but limiting my time on social media helps me limit how much energy I put into following what's happening in the world, which gives me more emotional space for real world things like hanging out with Ramona :-)
Bringing your own bags and containers to the grocery store, and even to restaurants for leftovers, are a couple of ways to reduce your waste. What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?
I am trying to reduce the number of ziploc bags I use, but sometimes have difficulty with figuring out what to use in my kids' lunches and snacks. I like to buy large bags of snacks and divvy them up into smaller containers. The ziploc snack bags are very convenient, but I need to find a better way.
I think "reduce" needs to be my focus. I'm learning and trying to teach my children that there is a big difference between "need" vs "want." I've discovered that we truly need very little to survive and be happy.
Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! In what other ways can you exercise your civic duty to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions?