The Standard

Today has been a bit wet in my corner of the world, but there was a dry spot that I was able to get outside. I spent my time cleaning littler in the neighborhood. Maybe tomorrow morning will be drier so I can work in my garden!

I worked on one community project for 2 hours, but the rest was spent wandering my neighborhood picking up litter... thanks to supplies received. It's kind of a messy job, but it really makes me sad to see cigarette butts, soda bottles, fast food bags, and yes... even the green doggie waste bags. This was a huge problem 40 years ago, and it's...

Conducting a waste audit was a good reminder for me. I have some physical challenges so my adult sons do most of the cooking, but we have more waste than we should... and that would make my beloved grammy cringe. Still, there are areas that we are better at - reducing packaging and having access to good recycling facilities (including...

I know my home isn't energy efficient, but it was helpful to read some of the information on how to improve this. My landlord isn't interested in improving the home, but I did find some simple steps that will help.

I will be the first to admit that I have not been able to put as much effort into this challenge as I wish I could have, however I believe that I have a few changes from this that will lead to impacting my footprint long term. I have installed a micro-plastics filter on my washing machine and have a good supply of filters to continue to use...

This may be a bit controversial, but I am seeing so much about converting lawns to conserve water. I attended a session through my local Master Garden program about climate friendly lawns... and I learned that lawns are an important part of our eco-system, and help reduce C02. There was a lot presented, but it was through "10 Minute...

I did some spring planting today in my front yard, and used water from my rain barrel to clean the bird bath and to water new plants. In the summer months I direct the rain water overflow from the barrel to plants that don't get a lot of exposure to rain due to being shaded by a large Oak tree. This way I don't have to worry about watering...

As one article stated, a souvenir may help capture a moment in time, but even small purchases have a bigger impact unless the gifts are made locally. Wildlife can be destroyed in creating souvenirs, and there is also an impact on the environment when items are made in distant countries and shipped. This really opened my eyes!

It is so encouraging seeing our collective progress! I have started a few new habits, and I love seeing the plant based meals people are posting! Being vegetarian these days is so much better and easier than when I tried 30 years ago!

Inspired by my recent community project, I signed up for Adopt One Block. Oddly, my block was already adopted (that could be why it's fairly clean, and they let me adopt it too)... but I also adopted the strip-mall close by because I noticed a ton of litter in it when I was by the other day (no bucket... no gloves).