I watched the YouTube documentary Takeout and learned a lot about the harvesting of the Amazon rainforest. I wasn't aware that the clearing of the rainforest is in large part being done to create farmland for animal feed. The documentary highlights many issues. One takeaway for me was that average people reducing consumption of meat can go a long way toward decreasing the demand. We don't have to be vegan to make an impact.

Extreme disconnection from nature, to the point where nature feels "other"

Honestly, I haven't reduced my spending at all. I'm a naturally frugal person and only spend money a few times a week and that's primarily on non-negotiable things like gasoline and food. Analyzing my purchases every day and realizing that I am as frugal as I thought I was actually makes me feel better about splurging on date nights with my partner, etc.

I spend my break time working on personal things like stretching, PT, reading my email, finding a recipe for dinner, etc. It's awesome how much I can accomplish in 15-30 minutes a day and it creates a calmer, less stressful time when I get home from work because I've already prepped myself for the personal things I need to get done that day.

I picked up trash at the dog park, like usual. Nothing unusual. Mostly plastic bags and ripped up dog toys. It makes me frustrated knowing that majority of dog toys are made of plastic or other synthetic materials and (surprise surprise *sarcasm*) dogs rip them up into tiny bits at the dog park that pollute microplastics.

I think we lose connection when we don't go out and engage with both nature and our neighbors. Today isn't one of those beautiful spring days, so I didn't encounter many people on my walk, but it always feels good to spend time outdoors.

The one habit that I started a few years ago that I learned about from a friend is composting. By adding composting to our family's routine (in addition to recycling), we have been able to downsize to the smallest garbage can for our weekly trash pickup. At first my family was slow to adopt this habit but through perseverance I have them pretty well trained on what can be kept out of the waste stream. We have a pretty countertop bucket and I am grateful to our city for adding a drop-off location at City Hall.

The one habit that I started a few years ago that I learned about from a friend is composting. By adding composting to our family's routine (in addition to recycling), we have been able to downsize to the smallest garbage can for our weekly trash pickup. At first my family was slow to adopt this habit but through perseverance I have them pretty well trained on what can be kept out of the waste stream. We have a pretty countertop bucket and I am grateful to our city for adding a drop-off location at City Hall.

I had set my goal for 5 pieces of trash not knowing how much I would see - I was surprised at how much I was able to pick up on a short 1.6 mile walk with my pup.