It was challenging and eye opening to see all the little plastics that get accumulated in one day from cheese stick wrappers, to plastic applesauce cups, to plastic wraps from snacks. For the most part, my husband and I cook our meals and meal prep which helps to reduce the waste of food and plastic by storing our meals in glass containers. We reuse our water bottles and tea mugs but it is still difficult to reduce waste when certain products are wrapped in plastic, foil, etc. I have noticed that I make it a habit to always clean out the food residue from the wrappers and containers before recycling it.

Flooding is a major issue in my city /state and is a concern due to the climate and pending hurricanes that may / may not hit us from the gulf. The pipes and sewage system that our state is coming across a huge dilemma with flooding due to the pipes being so old. The pipes that the city has is around hundred years old and may carry lead and other chemicals that are not healthy for consumption. Little rainy days that we are having now causes trouble for everyone from schools, universities, businesses, and everyone commuting to the downtown area. The flooding that happens because our pumps do not work end up flooding cars, cause people to get stuck in flood waters, businesses get disrupted, etc. It is vital to have soil and plants that can absorb the water that falls from the sky but it is vital that the city gets the pumps working because we can only imagine what will happen if a hurricane comes to the state.

While walking I am able to get exercise and pick up a few pieces of litter.

The most carbon that is emitted in my life is from electricity and the gas heaters that I have at home. The amount of electricity that is used in a home daily is enormous and can be reduced through Energy Star appliances and making more sustainable options. By implementing energy saving light bulbs, tankless water heaters, energy saving washer / dryers, mini splits for air conditioning, etc. will I be able to help reduce the carbon being emitted. I am going to try to limit the amount of emissions emitted through our cars by only traveling to necessary places and walking to stores nearby. Overall everything we do emits carbon dioxide which can go anywhere from driving a car, flying, using appliances in your home, buying products, to even eating and making food. By being more conscious about the tasks we do and how much Carbon it takes can we truly reduce the output of it.

I did an energy audit at my parents home and in-laws-home and learn that there were several areas that both homes can improve on energy saving. My family home that I group up in is over 100 years old and is quiet a lot to maintain. The home definitely can use some upgrades for the window where some air leaks are located as well as the baseboards where some air leaks out. Some Weatherstripping and caulking will be able to solve the problem to that since the home is so old its takes more energy to heat and cool the home due to high ceilings. A major area to improve on would be insulation within the home in the attic since the home is raised which is another area that air leaks out. A smaller but important area of improvement in creating a home with energy saving devices would be in lighting and appliances around the home. Some items that can be bought are energy star lighting, LED bulbs, and sensors that do not use electrical current. Ensuring that certain appliances are not plugged in if not in use is a major area to help reduce the amount of energy being used. Living in the South all these factors are important to check because during the summer time it can get extremely hot due to climate change and the heat indexes that are rising higher each year.

Instead of flying for our destination we opted to take a staycation. It was still great and allowed us to get away from the house and unwind. For future trips I plan into looking at the Gray Hound Bus transportation method, cruise via ship, or doing another staycation by being a tourist in my own city and exploring more via the streetcar.

I learned that our State's energy program includes installing solar panels for residents and commercial companies. Our office moved into a new space last year and made sure that in their design plan to incorporate energy efficient appliances. They installed lights that do not take a lot of energy and they shut off automatically if there is no activity in the office. We also have large windows around the office which in natural light which in that case sometimes allows us to keep the lights off.