Carbon is the big decider now.  Money and time of course, but lately it has also been the ability to move around physically, and really work while traveling.  I have rheumatoid arthritis, but planes are  becoming so cramped.  Trains are still roomy, and allow more easily for walking.  They are also less noisy.  

However, I also just read that passengers of diesel  trains (in  Germany, I think, from 1980s train engines) are exposed to large amounts of pollution, especially the closer you get to the head of the train.  That is a bit worrisome, as I usually travel by train south of Washington DC, where only diesel trains run.  Still will go train-ing.  (as per this article I wrote:  https://climatesteps.org/2017/11/13/train-ing-ourselves/) 

I have been planning to get storm windows for at least six windows in my house.  I am hoping I still have time today to do it.  But this challenge has helped provide the impetus.

As I compost, I kept track of this by mostly noting how much compost I had created and what types.  Because of this question - I mostly finished all my meals, and scraps were things more like orange peels.  For which I was happy.

I had not realized that smart thermostats were really smart, I kept thinking that people were referring to smart thermostats as programmable thermostats connected to the internet so you could control it remotely.  But they apparently do adjustments to temperature based on patterns learned.  That's wonderful.  I'm not ready yet for it, but good to know.

We are curtailing our notion of retirement travel.  It's a big, wonderful world, but how much pollution of it should we create in order to enjoy it?  I think there are things to enjoy nearby, even if we never make it to Tierra Del Fuego.

In the U.S., we're arrogant. NPR had a segment talking about subway/rail, and how our building of this infrastructure is always, ALWAYS more expensive than in other developed countries.  Countries with Unions.  Countries that pay a living wage.  Study after study can't seem to figure out why.  Well, one of the interviewees had a "why".  He said, we aren't sent to other countries to figure out what they do better or right.  We think we know the answer already.  The other factor was too many layers of government fighting.  We're seeing that in California right now.  The Feds, the State, the regional authorities -- everybody throws up a roadblock.  Everybody has a "better" idea than the other guy.  We're too arrogant to get out of our own ways.

Bamboo Spoons!  We do have bamboo alternatives for many things.  I need to commit to buying bamboo toilet paper/paper towels.