You need ergonomics and flow — When you take a walk, you make a loop, starting and ending at your home. The most efficient way (in time and energy) to get home would have been just to stay home, but walks aren’t about efficiency of locomotion; they are about walking. If your walk has a specific…

Get curious and creative instead — Discussing environmental impacts and sustainable technology brings up interesting reactions in people. When I wrote a post comparing notebooks from a sustainability point of view, one of my friends praised it before wincing and saying “I’m one of those terrible people who have a Moleskine.” This friend is not a…

A gradual buildup of needs that suddenly become pressing — My priority list hadn’t changed in years. What’s always been important to me, in a big picture, life-and-career sense, is still important to me. But I’ve been noticing though journaling recently that spending all my attention on my priority list, like research quests, science, and art, wasn’t working for me. …

An experiment comes together from spare hemp paper and a dream! — I’ve always loved drawing landscapes; there’s something therapeutic about observing the organic shapes and moving your pen or brush in a leafy pattern. And lately, I’ve been enjoying drawing portraits and characters, both cartoons and semi-realistic. …

A low-barrier-to-entry way to advocate for change — I consider myself a newbie environmentalist, and I’m always envious of the kids from high school Environmental Clubs, who’ve seemingly been going to town hall meetings all their lives and communicate like charming and experienced diplomats… That’s not me. Talking to humans wasn’t my forte in high school. Environmentalism isn’t…

Because setting an intention is the first step to actually doing it — [Versions of this letter to the editor appeared in two local newspapers in my area: Easy Reader and Beach Reporter.] The recent wildfires and extreme weather in California are an unmistakable signal that climate change has arrived. …

It’s a goal that’s essential but not enough. Research Tidbit #9 — You may have heard the phrase ‘net-zero’ in the context of climate action. I came across it when as a part of my reading project on sustainability and climate. …