Traditions bind families together but also contribute to stress that can tear them apart. 2020 was anything but ordinary, requiring flexibility and patience from all of us. Working and learning from home pulled back the curtain to reveal how much really happens behind-the-scenes, making many moms feel more seen, especially during the holidays. In this two-parter, we will look at finding balance in an unbalanced year.
In general, it appears that CSAs can help out in the area of reducing one’s carbon footprint, but not why we think. It’s not so much because the food is local; rather because they generally encourage you to eat more in-season produce and less meat. In this final post, we’ll review what aspects of your food purchases make more (or less) of an impact.
Between land use impacts, methane produced by animals, animal feed, and the processing of animal carcasses, there is a significant impact from meat and dairy products, as compared to vegetables. However, all foods pack a punch in the carbon footprint arena when it comes down to the energy required to grow or preserve foods out of season, or when we don’t use what we buy.
When making responsible purchases, it’s easier to factor in things we can see (e.g. packaging) over things we can’t, such as farming practices, cold storage, and transportation footprint. In doing research for this series, I’ve been learning how my own choices with respect to food purchases, while well-intentioned, were grossly misinformed, and how some choices count for a lot more than others.
While buying local food is beneficial for local farmers, it doesn’t make that much of a difference to the environment. Transportation-related greenhouse gases are a drop in the bucket compared to GHGs associated with land use, farming, and methane produced by cows. Looking at the numbers shows that it’s what you eat, not where it comes from that makes the biggest impact.
Subscription services to healthy, farm-fresh produce promote health for the people who eat the food and financial viability for the farmers who grow it. Many people believe the biggest value of a CSA program is the low environmental impact of buying local, but this first post in a series on CSAs looks at whether eating local food is really the best way to save the planet.
Over many years and several D&D campaigns, I have reluctantly become more comfortable with the concept of asking for help when I need it and letting someone else revel in a success. Incredibly, participating in this game with friends has not only made me a better leader and team member in real life, but it has probably also helped keep me healthy through stressful times.
We’ve had a rough go of it in 2020, and the year isn’t over yet. Between pandemic, recession, violence, and political strife, people are experiencing chronic stress in the best of cases. What if I told you there was a way to work through unprocessed emotions, celebrate successes through diversity, and release brain chemicals that are designed to keep you healthy and resilient?
Halloween is the time of year when we think of death and of natural cycles coming to an end. But what is Halloween like when we’ve already been thinking about death all year? This post examines our attraction to the expression of death in art. Watching outbreak movies during a pandemic and laughing at dark humor during times of crisis may actually be a psychological necessity.
As we approach November, we’re getting exposed to more and more BS in political campaigns. Fortunately, this is also the perfect time of year to make use of fertilizer to improve your lawn. This week we will look at the pros and cons of organic and inorganic fertilizers, focusing on one in particular that I’ve used on my lawn for years.