NSC Earth Week Challenge 2020

It hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be to eat less meat, I'm finding that more and more often I opt for vegetarian options. It's difficult for me to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables because I have Crohn's and a lot of food allergies, so I have a lot of intolerances. I had a major Crohn's episode about 6 or 7 years ago and ever since...

I've been budgeting regularly for many years now, but I seem to always have just enough to pay for my bills and necessities and a little bit of entertainment. I talked to a financial advisor at my credit union about budgeting, and I am on the right track. One shift that I made after that meeting was to have money moved from my checking to my...

I'm trying to save money for a downpayment on a house (which in Seattle sort of feels like an unobtainable goal, but we'll see). I've always done basic weekly meal planning but I just recently started planning out roughly 2 weeks at a time, ever since the stay at home order was put in place. The trick I've found has been trying to find items...

Mostly wrappers for food items and product packaging. There are lots of other disposable but not exactly single-use plastics that I have noticed. Shampoo bottles, thread spools (used to be wooden!) To-go food containers. Then there's things like cell phone cases that don't universally fit, so when you need a new cell phone you need a new case....

I am so proud of these 5 minute showers! I need to get more consistent but these feel like a big achievement. I think the next step I should take to reduce my water footprint is to make sure I turn on and off the water right when I need it/am done with it, and make sure I don't get distracted and let it run. I might think about starting my...

Planted more seeds yesterday. Rain is in store for the weekend so this should help the germination! Looking forward to a walk in the springtime rain. Air is fresh! 

I think it is so important and powerful to reflect on what is important to you and how you demonstrate that in your life. What do you love? What makes you feel accomplished? What do you want to leave behind? I want to invest more time in reflecting on these things and how I can prioritize those things in my life.

It is amazing how just 3 min of silence can actually give you a sense of calm. I always feel like things need to be huge to have an impact, even though I learn over and over again that small changes can make a big difference!

I Switched to Cold Water When I Use The Washing Machine.

I feel less overwhelmed. Given the COVID situation, I am significantly less anxious when I spend less time engaged in social media. It also allows me to be more present in my current surrounding, allowing for my mind to wind up/down at the appropriate times during the day.