c/anthropocene-anxieties

I swapped my gas lawn mower for a reel mower and it wasn't the peaceful switch I expected

I used to mow my yard every Saturday with a loud gas mower that smelled like exhaust and made my ears ring. About 3 months ago, I got a manual reel mower thinking I'd save on gas and feel more connected to the planet. That first mow, the grass was too tall and I had to go over each strip twice just to cut it clean. Now I mow twice a week, rain or shine, just to keep the grass short enough for the blades to catch. The quiet is nice, but I'm actually sweating way more than before and my neighbors keep asking if my gas mower broke. I'm still glad I made the switch, but nobody warned me about the extra work. Has anyone else switched to a manual tool and regretted how much time it takes?

c/anthropocene-anxieties

I swapped my gas lawn mower for a reel mower and it wasn't the peaceful switch I expected

Hit 1,000 plastic water bottles saved on my app today and honestly it just made me angry

I stopped recycling for a month to see if it actually mattered and here's what happened

Heard my neighbor June say something about the creek behind our houses that stuck with me

Bought bulk fabric softener at Costco last spring and it took me 9 months to realize it was coating my towels in wax

Spent 3 hours planting natives along the creek behind my house last Saturday

That $250 air purifier I bought stopped working after 3 months

Noticed my street's storm drain hasn't flooded once this summer after the city planted those rain gardens 2 years ago

Hit a personal record of 45 single-use plastic bottles in a week and I'm honestly shook

My trip to the Florida Keys made me sick to my stomach

Shoutout to hitting 500 pounds of food scraps composted

My rain barrel setup finally broke after that big storm Tuesday

Found an old letter from my grandpa about the river near his farm

Had to pick between a gas lawn mower and a reel mower for my tiny yard

Used to think carbon offset credits were just a guilt tax for rich people

Tried planting a bunch of native wildflowers in my yard to help bees, but the rabbits ate everything in 2 days

The recycling truck driver told me my sorted bins are just theater

Watched a young guy at the hardware store toss a perfectly good rechargeable drill battery in the trash

Last week I hit my 500th recycling drop-off trip

Hit 10,000 miles on my pickup last week and it got me thinking about my carbon footprint

Compared my backyard soil test to a patch that's been untouched for 15 years and the difference was brutal

Found a simple way to cut my food waste in half

Unpopular opinion: solar panels in the desert are a net negative

Tried rewilding my tiny backyard and got a swarm of bees instead of butterflies

I used to think my little garden didn't matter for anything bigger.