I support local businesses all the time and it made me happy that it was one of the challenges for consumption and economy section. I always make a point visit a local coffee shop once a week before work instead of going to Starbucks. My goal for the new year is to stop using straws and I actually started carrying a reusable straw in my purse. 

I watched the Story of Bottled Water https://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-bottled-water/. It is estimated that 80% of our plastic bottles end up in the landfill. The rest that are "recycled" ends up in India and they are either downcycled or they just lay in piles in someone's backyard. We have to do better! Most of the water from water bottles come from the tap. The energy used to produce the water bottles in the US is enough energy to power 1 million cars a year. So our water bottles not only generate waste, but they pollute while they are being produced, and the water isn't much better than what we can get from home. I must admit that in the past two years, I reused a water bottle for a few weeks and then would recycle it and buy a new one. I realize it is better to just buy a reusable one and drink from the tap. 

I watched Paris to Pittsburgh last night and it was such an eye opening documentary. I have always done my research when voting at the polls but during the next election I know that I need to get out and help canvas for the candidates that truly care about the future of this planet. 

Many people are aware of the importance of sustainability, but are accustomed to old habits. Sustainability is important to me, because I want to ensure the safety and wellbeing of future generations, especially for my children. My vision for sustainability is like the movie Avatar, this may sound silly, but it came to my mind when I was explaining sustainability, although the movie may be a bit extreme. A handful of people realize the importance of sustainability and fight hard for it, while others unintentionally are destroying our planet. It’s difficult to fight for a cause that doesn’t reap the benefits immediately. However, if like the avatars we continue fighting or our earth, not physically like the movie, but by educating others, we can all make an impact. We are all on different levels of sustainability. I myself have a long road ahead, but I am now aware of my actions and the consequences, which has already altered my behavior.  

I watched a VICE news investigative report on what it takes to produce meat and the water crisis. What documentary did you watch? Feel free to add it here if it is on YouTube https://youtu.be/QkPBam3qO34?list=PLltN3fZbEqcldfsyYifnxzsojKp3pG6E-

Good morning! As we progress through the Choices for Sustainable Living discussion course, please go on your dashboard and add an action listed under the session we are currently on. Right now, we just started session 1. I wanted to share my personal recommendations for you to explore regarding the actions offered during this session: 

Documentaries
Who Killed the Electric Car - Amazon Prime
The True Cost - Netflix
An Inconvenient Truth - Amazon Prime

Local Organizations:
Fleet Farming https://fleetfarming.org/
The Hive https://www.startahive.org/hiveorlando/
Ideas for US https://www.ideasforus.org/ 
Sierra Club http://centralfloridasierra.org/ 

Local Trails:
East Orlando: Eco River Wilderness (UCF area), Lake Mills Park (Bithlo area), Econlockhatchee Sandhills Conservation Area (east Orlando Lake Pickett), Little Big Econ Barr St Trailhead (Oviedo).

I personally am looking forward to watching a documentary. There are so many I haven't yet seen https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/11-environmental-documentaries/. 

Feel free to add your recommendations as well. We all can learn from each other. 

Also, once you've done your actions, please post your reflection.