I chose to replace screen time with listening to audiobooks and found that it wasn't too difficult. I am enjoying re-listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks! Instead of sitting still in front of a screen, I was able to walk around doing chores and cooking while still being entertained. 

Unfortunately, I do not live in a place where there is a great opportunity for car-pooling. However, I do live in the heart of downtown Beaverton, so I am able to walk to A LOT of places. Walking is so much better in so many ways, and I also love that you don't' get stuck in traffic. I also always try and do my errands in clumps instead of going back and forth all of the time. 

It can be so overwhelming to think of the "big" problem on a large scale. Therefore, I tend to just try and focus on the "small" things that I can actually address. It is too much to think of all of the problems facing this planet, our country, our city, or even just me. So, I try and just think of the things that I can do to make a difference and then focus on them one at a time. 

I did this yesterday and my compostables were the worst as I do carry them from my home to the office compost recycling. My home area has not green bin recycling so I have reached out to the Homeowners to see if we can get that initiated here,

I completed this task by  researching  Portland (local) water and air  issues.  I reviewed the Department of Environment Quality report on water which the city must deliver to the Federal government every two years. The report is here https://www.oregon.gov/deq/wq/Pages/2018-Integrated-Report.aspx the main issues continue to be temperature, dissolved oxygen, and E. coli. 

I also looked at air quality and found that the Portland-Vancouver-Salem area is now the 23rd most polluted area in the U.S for short-term particle pollution.https://www.lung.org/local-content/_content-items/about-us/media/press-releases/portland-area-air-quality.html

I incorporate most edibleparts of the veggies I buy into food prep. For instance, I put the entire apple into smoothies and chop the broccoli stem up to add to stir fries. I often add "leftover" parts like carrot tops and ugly bits of celery to a slow cooker to make a big pot of broth (usually with leftover parts of a roasted chicken). In the end, I feel good about throwing our organic waste into the compost pile as it gets recycled into amazing soil.