Bad news, good news, and great news! Bad - The hybrid battery on my 2006 Prius died a few weeks ago and there are several other repairs it needs, so I just need to get a new car. Good - I've bought a "granny cart" so I can walk to get my groceries. Great - I'm getting a Nissan Leaf EV tomorrow!!!
Without our oceans, Earth is pretty much dead. I am a volunteer and annual donor with the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition https://oregonshores.org/ doing segments for their Coast Watch program. This is very important to me. Being a human coastal resident I see daily shifts and changes on the coastline including amazing wildlife and plants but also including micro-plastics, trash and other negative human-created impacts. Quarterly recording my miles on Coast Watch documents human influence along our shores, as well as unusual wildlife, changes in creeks, landslides, other erosion, and anything else that may affect the ocean's edge.
I started this challenge because although I thought I was doing quite well, I knew I could do better. My greatest ghg emissions come from travel and due to the virus I have reduced my trips to town to around 1/10th of what they were. Because of the Earth Day Ecochallenge I think that I can keep my use of my car driving down even when it is ok to make more trips to town. The biggest thing I have gained is more time outside - enjoying the birds singing and plants growing. My eyes are open and I don't think that they will close. Thanks EcoChallenge!!
Well, my car just died! Actually, the hybrid battery went kaput, and the expense of a new one, plus other needed parts and four new tires made me decide to get a new car, which I hope will be an EV. Or maybe even no car! In the mean time, I bought a "granny cart" online and now I trundle down to Market of Choice during senior hours to do my grocery shopping, and just pull the bags back home. Who needs a car, anyway?
Way to go Alice. Louise managed for many months after she sold her hybrid. She used her bike and did very well. She finally bought a used electric vehicle. It was cheaper than the others because it didn't have the high acceleration of newer electric vehicles, but I believe that she is very happy with it, especially since she usually uses her bike and it is just a back-up for longer trips.
Local organizations build community and commitment to protect the environment. I just became a monthly donor to KS Wild. I really like the way they have partnered with many different environmental groups in Southern Oregon and Northern California to work cooperatively to protect public lands and many other worthy efforts. They are working with Lomakatsi to do some very important clearing of low growth and other fuels in the Ashland watershed to lessen the chance of wildfire.
They are also part of the group with SOCAN, US Forest Service, Rogue Basin Partnership, and Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative (SOFRC) exploring Climate Smart management techniques for our forests.
Sharing Eco habits - biggest one this time around is LESS toilet paper! I have sticky notes in all the bathrooms that say CONSERVE TP - although not the most lovely, it's truly helpful!
Zoom calls are cutting down on everyone's need to DRIVE for in-person meetings.
Strategic MENU PLANNING means less grocery shopping trips to the store.
Can't wait to apply what I learned about REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE in our home garden.
