foggy out there today, be safe!

commiting to learning the rules of composting in my area, and divert more household waste from trash to compost so the nutrients can stay in the cycle

My town, and the US in general is very car centric. Public transportion is lacking and is hard to rely on full time, so almost everyone owns a car and is dependent on it day to day. If cities were planned smarter and more funding was allocated to transit and building safe walking/bike paths, we could reduce carbon emissions

when you watch the sunrise/set you have a few minutes of quiet, uninterrupted time where you can think or even just meditate and let your mind drop all the stress of the day.

I tend to notice more (signs, colors, people, sounds, etc.) that I don't notice while driving. I'm going slower and don't have to focus all my attention on driving

My chief motivation is my palate. Recently I gathered many pounds of Chanterelle mushrooms and they were amazing! Twice as big as what you can buy in the store and much more flavorful! I had them in a light broth with rice noodles and veggies. Also just plain with garlic and butter.

Went to Grandpa's Market just north of Lebanon for pumpkins, squash, corn and fun! By buying local produce I am supporting the community and helping to ensure a sustainable future. These small farmers are taken for granted. We need to support them because they may need to support us one day!

There is a persistent myth that the environment is a separate "thing" but in reality humans are part of the environment we inhabit. We suffer as the environment is degraded by our collective actions. Community health is a smaller subset of our environment. The focus is on the people and ecosystems near us in space and time and the health of our communities impacts all of us in many ways. Community health starts with healthy natural ecosystems nearby such as forests, grasslands and even farms providing ecosystem services of clean air, clean water, storm water storage, infiltration and much more.  Human communities are support by healthy Animal and Plant communities. Examples that come to mind involved insects and birds that provide pollination and pest control. Animal communities, in balance and health are supported by Plant and Fungal communities which in turn are supported by healthy air, water and soil. Healthy soil depends upon organic matter and will sequester carbon and support diversity of beneficial microbes and fungi. All of this beautiful diversity directly contributes to my personal health both physical and mental.

People in richer countries eat more meat because it is available and not as expensive relative to income. It is part of the culture to eat meat, and lots of it. Many times it is cultural, all the recipes my mother has for dinners use meat! Going meatless is going into the unknown for many people. They don't understand how much protein is present in plant foods or that over consumption of meat causes chronic health issues.  Meat production uses more water than plant based diets. Land that could be used for local needs in poorer countries is instead devoted to producing feed for animals. Overgrazing exacerbates drought pressure on native plants and animals. High prices for meat, especially BEEF, has made it profitable to use AIR transport of live cattle to China from Australia. Think of it. Air travel for cows contributing to  CO2 emissions. Also animal cruelty. First they starve them and deny them water. Then they are crowded together standing in their own waste. http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-01-17/history-made-as-northern-cattle-shipped-to-china/9333900