Cian Dimmick

Today I spent an hour researching about mason bees and how to care for them. They're insanely cool! I learned that, unlike honeybees, mason bees are solitary, so each female mason bee builds her own nest without a colony or queen. They are super efficient pollinators for early spring flowers and they're also known for their docile nature. They also have a pollination rate of 95% compared to honey bees with just 5%. Keeping them involves providing a nesting structure with these removable tubes or trays to help with annual cleaning, a nearby source of mud for nest construction, and early-blooming flowers nearby. I am definitely considering installing some small mason bee houses all around the yard, and I'm super excited to see how it turns out. I think it could be a great addition alongside the pollinator lawn I just set up.

This week for the ecochallenge about consumption, I watched a documentary called "You Need This' (2026). The central argument of the documentary was that in consumer capitalism, enough is never enough. It argues that this modern economic system based on perpetual growth and material accumulation has evolved into a kind of "insidious belief structure" which is breaking down human connection and creating a destructive loop of work and consumption. One of the most striking pieces of the documentary was a section about targeted dream incubation. It described how corporations are already investing in technology to place advertisements directly into our subconscious while we are sleeping. It's pretty terrifying.

I'm very committed to public transportation because I live downtown and I don't have a car. I use the streetcar and the bus all the time. Its a rewarding feeling to get around without being personally responsible for any extra emissions and it is almost always a positive experience. I really wish the streetcar system had even more routes around the city, because it is truly fantastic. I will always prioritize public transportation!

Today I listened to a podcast episode from one of my favorite podcasts called Rev Left Radio. It was an episode surrounding the Palestinian resistance and an interview with Mohanad Alsayed, who grew up under the occupation.

Today I spent about an hour watching a PBS documentary called Upstream, Downriver: Uniting for Water Justice (2025) . I would recommend it! I think it gives a really good overview of the state of water justice in the country right now. It talks about the issues at hand, and it also talks about policy interventions, public action, and technological innovations surrounding water quality.

I really want to push myself to be more vegetarian. I don't know if I could eventually give up meat completely, but I have already stopped eating beef, and at this point the only meat that I eat somewhat regularly is chicken. I'm going to push myself to make more meals without any meat though, and find ways to replace the protein like with beans and chickpea/lentil pasta. I also want to try cooking with tofu more. I need to get better at it!

Honestly I hadn't thought about how much more energy it takes to wash your clothes with warm water instead of just cold water. It makes no difference to me so I'm happy that I can go forward washing with cold water now!

I chose to commit to only printing double sided from now on. As a student, I have to print a lot of papers and projects, so acknowledging this commitment feels good, no matter how small the impact may be!