Celebrating the wins, even the small ones, is vital to remind ourselves that we are making progress and/or have made accomplishments. I am celebrating the sprouting of one of my pollinator plants. Even if it is the only sprout that grows, it is one more than if I had not tried at all.

According to a statewide evaluation by the Wisconsin Waterworks Excellence Project (WWEP) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, MWW received A grades in water-quality health and communications, a B grade in financial sustainability, and a D grade in infrastructure. The 64.1 overall infrastructure mark noted there were 21.5 main and service breaks per 100 miles, resulting in 369,929.9 gallons of water lost.

Milwaukee water quality generally exceeds state and federal standards, infrastructure receives low grades - WTMJ

I learned that paper cups aren't recyclable and if they have a plastic coating they can't be composted either. I also know that TerraCycle will send you a shipping label to send them items not normally accepted by local recycling providers. I save all my coffee bags and ship them to them to process. The most difficult part of recycling is the lack of knowledge of the general public about recycling. Having annual required training for staff is essential to diverting as much as possible from the landfill.

I learned about recycling from a very young age. My family always reduced, reused, and recycled while growing up. I give a lot of credit about my mindset to my parents for instilling the importance of being responsible stewards of our resources. I vividly remember taking an elementary school field trip to the Waste Management (WM) recycling plant and even then, thinking how advanced the processing of recycling is. As I just learned from Josh Zaharias, WM has upgraded their facility to include state-of-art AI technology to prevent even more recyclable material from entering the landfill. It is most important people learn how to reduce, reuse, and properly recycle whenever possible.

Today, I took my girls to explore the Menomonee river. We walked several miles off the paved path on the trail along the river. They loved observing the rapids, plants, and wildlife. Seeing them get excited about nature brings me great joy. They appreciate the beauty in the small things and learn the importance of taking care of our natural world.

Opening your windows for just 10 minutes each day, even in the winter, can help improve your indoor air quality. Not only do I keep my windows open as much as possible to help save energy, but I also love fresh air in the house, and it is good for our health and lungs.

Meat productions in resource intensive and therefore higher in emissions. I try to reduce my meat consumption, by decreasing my meat consumption and opting out of meat as much as possible. My go to plant-forward dish to make at home is lentil Bolognese, easy and affordable!

Absolutely! Powering down devices not only saves energy, but it also allows you to disconnect from work and gives you a chance to decompress after a long day and enjoy work-life balance.