Along with my health and reading, I have also added a daily meditation practice, have been doing more consulting and have started to make changes with the environment in mind. A lot of this came from reflections over the years teaching climate change courses. The more I learn, the more I change. Students and I have been talking about these changes and it's great to see how everyone is supporting each other and giving recommendations.
The first thing I started with was traveling. Although I haven't taken many flights this year, when I do, I buy carbon offsets. I can't see myself as ever giving up flying completely, so I will cut in other places to minimize my impacts. For example, during the months where there is no snow on the ground, I do at least one car-free day a week. Sometimes I can get up to three by biking to work, walking from home and planning to do all of my errands on the same day. I am hoping that this year I can keep this up and eventually do 2 car-free days consistently.
I also am almost completely vegetarian now. When I started scuba diving 6 years ago, I stopped eating seafood. There was no way I could keep eating seafood after seeing how amazing everything is in that underwater ecosystem. So it wasn't too big of a stretch to then stop eating meat. I find it easy when I am on my own, but there are little things like gummy bears, and the occasional fish taco in Tofino that I am not ready give up. Being home at the holidays was tough, but I did my best. I was always told that doing as much as you can is better than nothing, so I am really trying to make conscious decisions. I swapped milk for oat and coconut milk years ago. This year, I also swapped coconut yogurt for the dairy version. I will sometimes get the vegan version of ice cream, but not always. And that's okay. I also am part of a CSA with Four Beat Farm. Once a week from June to December, I get fresh veggies from a local farm. It has been amazing to get to know where my food comes from and to learn how to cook veggies I have never heard of or tried before. My newfound obsession is kohlrabi! So delicious. Also, this farm uses horses for all their farm work, so there are even less emissions related to the production of my veggies!
The next habit I needed to change is connected to my love of reading. Too many books! (And consumerism in general, but that'll be for another post!) I started to get more books from the library. For the books that I had to buy, I passed them on or donated them. Before COVID, a colleague and I had set up a book exchange at a professional development event we hosted. It was a great way to swap books. I hope that soon we can get back to in person workshops and we can bring back the book exchange.
Another change I have been working hard on is electricity and internet use. It is surprising how much energy each Google search uses! the first small change was to switch from Google to Ecosia. Not only is it solar powered, but they also plant trees for your searches, helping to offset carbon. We can't all stop using the internet, but we can use it better. There are some movies and shows on streaming networks that I watch frequently. By downloading them instead of streaming, you are also saving energy. Every little bit counts. I am also being careful with devices. I only plug in my phone or computer when they need it. I started to carry a portable charger in case i need to charge my phone on the go as I don't keep it plugged in all night anymore. I turn off power bars to most of my small appliances and have been keeping my temperature down in the house. If it gets just a little cool, I'll light a soy candle to take the edge off, make tea and put on a sweater.
There are other changes I have made, but those will be for another post where I tackle consumerism and plastic!
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