Maggie Tracey

I am driven by a sense of purpose to leave a place better than I found it. Pick up trash, recycle, compost, change out my light bulbs for LED's, replace old inefficient appliances with energy-smart options, re-purpose things, consider alternatives, etc. 

I LOVE composting and can't say enough good things about it! The first thing I noticed when I started was how much less stinky my kitchen garbage can gets without rotting banana peels, onions, etc sitting in! No more drippy nasty bags to take out to the trash and I don't have to do that as often either. People often worry about compost containers getting smelly inside the house, but with daily layers of coffee grounds, tea leaves, and fresh things on top, it has not been smelly at all. I walk my "compost bowl" out to the big bin by the garden every couple days, and more frequent if needed (like after cutting up a watermelon - all that rind is good compost material!). Another concern is about bugs and I have not had an issue there either. Typically 1 day per summer I have a fruitfly situation that reminds me to not be lazy about taking the bowl out, but within a day of removing the compost, the fruitflies disappear too. In the end it is so satisfying to see all the rich, healthy "soil" that results from the compost and my garden plants are happy I put in the little bit of effort. 

I think big problems need to be fixed with big ideas and to get there you need to think outside the box and stretch your mind creatively. Listening to people from different places with different experiences and engaging in thought experiments on big systematic problems with people who are different from you can open creative doors.

Probably the most obvious answer here is while listening to music. Everyone has that special song or playlist that really gets them moving and feeling happy. I also really love going for a long walk while listening to a really good audiobook. My brain is engaged in a great story while my body is in motion. That brings me a lot of joy. 

I have seen some beautiful sights  in nature that felt significant, and that put me in a zen mood, or shifted my perspective on the world. Red mountains in Sedona, Arizona; tropical beaches; glaciers in Alaska. It is a real gift to see the world and it always has a profound impact on me.

I think people are busy and with work and families and chores and hobbies everyone has a lot going on and with all those distractions it is easy to get absorbed in life and not even think about the broader impact of what we buy. Also, with busy lifestyles we may buy disposable things or single-serving food to make life easier because we don't have the time or energy for extra steps. The key is to start to make simple changes that we can incorporate into our day without too much hassle and slowly adopt more conscientious updates over time. Too many changes at once can be hard to sustain. Baby steps.

One thing I have done to reduce waste is by buying certain products in bulk. Larger amounts of food items that can be stored in reusable jars at home vs. smaller amounts purchased in individual packages that will be thrown away reduces the amount of trash produced by those purchases. And its a cheaper way to shop too!

The reflection question implies that it might be hard for some people to make the switch to a reusable mug but I have found that switching from disposable to reusable is easy! I like the comforting feeling of a warm mug in my hands. Also, a travel mug not made of paper or thin plastic holds the temperature of the beverage much longer whether hot or cold and is less likely to spill in the car.