I know that our energy in Spokane is mostly hydropower, so it's pretty clean. I don't think my husband and I use a lot of electricity or gas- we keep our house at 66 degrees in winter and we don't have AC in summer. We turn of lights (except my plant lights- those might use a bit of energy) and rarely use space heaters. We cook a lot on our gas stove, but usually big meals that we eat leftovers of the whole week (so pretty efficient cooking). We do have two freezers so we could consider nixing one of those but the freezers help a lot with our zero-waste efforts, and I would have to go shopping a lot more often without them. It's a tradeoff. Anyone have suggestions for what else we could do?

I feel less guilty to be outside around others when it is for something essential, in this case volunteering with Gleaners to provide food to people who struggle to afford enough food. I have gotten to know other volunteers, and have enjoyed this time.

When the washer and dryer finally die they will be replaced with more energy efficient models. I can also switch to buying LED light bulbs as my current bulbs begin to die. Better insulation and/or more panes to the windows could also make a large difference.

I didn’t know that the particles from phytoplankton facilitate cloud formation which drives worldwide climate patterns! ANd they protecting hunters like bluefin tuna and sharks is essential to keeping the right balance and nutrients for phytoplankton. I plan to use my seafood watch app and find out more about activist efforts to promote sustainable fishing practices.