Blogging in 3 Decades!

Hello blog readers!

It's my first post of 2020, which means this blog is now a teenager, and also means I've now been blogging across three decades!

So what's there to talk about so far in the year 2020? Donald Trump was impeached but will likely not be removed from office. We came pretty close to going to war with Iran. There is a deadly virus called the Coronavirus starting to spread across the world. The massive wildfires devastating Australia have been put out. Basketball great Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter accident yesterday. Billie Eilish and Lizzo took home plenty of awards at the Grammy's last night. Overall, not a great start to the new decade (with the exception of Lizzo winning awards). I say we check-in on these stories in 2030. 

Of all of them, the one we might be talking about the most in a decade, as a major turning point for world history, could be the climate change that brought about the wildfires in Australia. I suspect that this decade could bring about worse and worse natural disasters as a result of climate change. People may look back at those wildfires more than anything else and see them as the inflection point where climate change was truly perceived as a harbinger for more ruinous natural disasters.

With climate change in mind, I've recently grown more cognizant of the amount of waste I've personally been responsible for generating or that has been generated on my behalf. I've started taking some small steps to reduce the environmental impact I've had on the world. The tricky part is know what decision is best. Everyone knows disposable diapers are terrible for the environment, but what's the environmental impact of manufacturing reusable diapers and then the energy, soap and water it takes to clean them?

Other times it's hard to know if the scale of impact is even relevant. How many times would I have to chose to walk someplace instead of drive for it to counteract the carbon footprint of flying to Guam last week?

It's hard to know what is best sometimes, but other times it's pretty easy. I'm trying to avoid single use plastics whenever possible, and I no longer buy novelty things that I know are just going to end up in the trash in a week. I'm not sure the impact these changes will have, but I'm starting with the 'low-hanging fruit' as they say at work. I'd be willing to take some more drastic lifestyle changes if that's what is needed, but I'd want to know they will have a positive impact before I do.

I'm betting I find out in the next decade.