Palisades Free Library

I eat beef, coffee, palm oil and chocolate on a regular basis. I am eating less beef and I will try to buy it from sustainable sources. The coffee I buy is shade grown. The tub of palm oil I buy says it is sustainably harvested but I will use less anyway. I will seek out chocolate that is approved by the Rain Forest Alliance.

I would like to see more water sensor lawn sprinklers. Many of my neighbors' systems are on a timer and they go off rain or shine.

Paying close attention to shutting off lights when I leave a room or just using the daylight coming through the windows. I put seldom used computers and entertainment equipment on power strips that are left off until I use the electronics. No more phantom power usage.

A sense of fairness and a responsibility to future generations.

We've added attic insulation and replaced doors and windows. In addition to saving money by using less energy we are more comfortable in the house. The heat is more even and there are no drafts.

I'm sad about what replaces farmland, which is usually sprawl. There is a finite supply of land that can be farmed and we need to preserve it.

I also think about the time and risk involved for women to gather fuel for fires. We have to much we take for granted. We have made carbon fuel so available that we use it freely and it is polluting the atmosphere and others suffer more because of it.

This was a great experience. Like many new habits I've tried to form in the past, I was strong for the first 7-10 days and then faltered. I will keep trying and get better at zero waste meals and eating a plant rich diet.

We have a bountiful land and federal subsidies to support a meat based diet. This says that money can buy influence.