Yale Club of Northeastern NY

And thanks to co-captain Carla, too!

Thanks to Anne Erling for coordinating this alternative to the traditional Yale Day of Service. I enjoyed the opportunity to reflect and to imagine that I could, however incrementally, change some behaviors.

I'm finding it rather easy to do activities I set out for myself to do. It's time to add another one, which I will pick later today.

While Ecochallenge's focus may be specifically on Earth Day issues, I can't help thinking that a mention of COVID-19 is in order: it's relevant, and scarily so, to our entire planet.  So maybe this is a call for dialogue. I shopped yesterday at Hannaford, wearing a mask and gloves. Other shoppers wore them, too. But the checkout folks on that...

The funny thing is I feel totally self-conscious about doing this challenge, but I suppose that's the whole point: lifting to awareness one's behavior. So if I see what I committed to doing and determine whether or not I've done it, that's not a bad way to be in the world.

Wealthy countries can produce ready-made foods. Eating meat is convenient: packaged hot dogs, frozen chicken products,hunks of beef one can pat into a burger. Plus many of us had childhoods in which meat was de rigeur. So to change behavior requires thought and time. 

Thanks, Anne, for organizing this unusual Yale Day of Service. Reading about the challenges every day will force me to think more critically than I ordinarily would about what I do/don't do for the sake of the planet. A lot of room for improvement! 

I will continue to use the info as guidance, but ultimately will use judgement on the qualities of the food to discern their edibility.  If we are nearing a date listed, we freeze the items or use soon. While shopping, we buy close use by dates and then freeze to preserve usage and prevent waste.