The Hartford's EARTH Team

it provides a great feeling of accomplishment and anticipation as you see that apple tree grow knowing in the future it will bear fruit.

I would say the water bottles from single serve were the most prevalent in my household followed by the plastic zip lock bags. I've replaced the disposable bottles with reusable stainless steel and glass. Same with the plastic bags, using more glass containers to store food in my refrig.

Especially with it being spring, I've noticed how I've forgotten how fresh everything is when it starts to green-up outside. There is a cool breeze but warm sunshine, it is a nice feeling.

I was surprised how much I could compost just from making a salad for my family. Once the compost is ready, I have several gardens where I will use the material.

Less watering of outdoor plants when the weather reports are showing it will rain. Reduce the amount of excess water being used daily.

It was interesting to learn how much water is used daily. I am more mindful of running the water for different tasks and turn it off while multi-tasking.

I have a local park near my apartment. I explored trails on my bike I don't normally gravitate to. I got to see that so much of my city is connected by trails!

It felt good to see all the room that decluttering opened up in my home. I learned that I feel less anxious when I don't have as much clutter. With how much I decluttered it did concern me about how much waste we are okay with as a society. I tried to be mindful about how I got rid of things based on what I learned during this time.

It was challenging because I can be bad about impulse buying. I learned that delayed gratification is just as good as instant and I will keep being mindful about my purchases.

It allows me to see the impact of giving my time to the community first hand.