I thought I had been very good about living a plastic-free life, but I had one frequent culprit: plastic cling wrap. I have a lot of tupperware bowls that have lost their lids, and so in a pinch I'll just cover them with wrap. I figured that was more responsible than throwing out the whole set and buying a new one with lids, but maybe I can find replacement lids at the thrift store or online.

I also bake a lot of bread, and I'll typically use cling wrap over the massive proofing bowl while it's in the fridge. I recently got a bowl cover, so I'm excited to use that instead.

I have been notoriously bad at keeping house plants alive throughout my life. However! I have successfully kept 2 indoor plants alive for the past 4 months, which motivated me to get 2 more this month. It feels nice to have some greenery in my home, especially because I don't have access to a garden of my own.

I did also adopt a native pollinator plant (tickseed!) for my mom this month! I've been encouraging her to transition her garden to species better suited to our natural environment, and she's done a lot of work xeriscaping and being thoughtful of the plants she chooses. Our local master gardeners had a plant sale this past weekend and I bought her a plant she liked from there, so we'll have joint custody of it in her garden.

This wasn't something I did, but maybe it was a domino effect? On my drive home from school yesterday, I noticed a car with a sticker on the back of it that said, "I hope something good happens to you today." Now, I'm not a big car sticker person nor do I pay attention to the stickers on the back of people's cars because sometimes I just think it's silly, but this sticker got me thinking. I thought about how if I changed my perspective, maybe that sticker was really made to find me in that moment? What were the chances I would be right behind this person on the road at that particular time? It felt nice to hear, even if it was just a sticker on a stranger's car. Being on the receiving end of an act of kindness made me realize that small things add up. I will always carry this little moment with me in my memory :) I hope something good happens to you all today!

Fun swap! Plant pots for fresh sourdough bread.

Sleep is such an underrated thing to prioritize. Making an effort to get extra time for sleep has made me realize how much my quality of life improves just from the changes in my mood by being well rested. I have more mental capacity for the things I care about and need to focus on, and I feel more productive each day. Catch those extra z's when you can, y'all!

One interesting thing I found out is that one of my baseboard heaters continues to put out a low-level of heat, even when I have the setting turned down as low as possible (there's no off setting). It's starting to become the warm season here and so I decided to turn that heater's power off directly at the breaker--it'll save energy and make my AC-less home more comfortable :)

This was very informative, and I appreciated the time used to learn about action items I can do to improve my carbon footprint.

I fill up the sink with a small amount of water to wash and prerinse dishes. I have taken shorter showers and use unfinished water to water my house plants.

Making smaller portions....Storing food properly....using veggie scraps and meat bones for making stock. Making sure all food waste gets composted commercially or in my backyard.