So, who am I and why am I writing this blog?
Well, up until about 3 years ago, I was what I would call an "armchair" environmentalist... yes I recycled, and was one of the first people to buy a Prius in 2001 (Almost 100,000 miles and still going strong), AND since 1994 have worked for a magazine that includes green/sustainable living as one of its core content areas (Body+Soul Magazine, previously New Age Journal) http://www.wholeliving.com/
But then, in the late summer 2006 I met my friend Chelsea for dinner at a nearby mall. We ran into a couple of her friends who said they were going to see "An Inconvenient Truth". We decided that if we got through with dinner in time we'd go see it.
That night my perspective on life, and my role in it, changed forever. I sat there with tears streaming down my face as the credits rolled. I had had no idea how dire the situation was, and was pretty sure that most people in my life had no idea either.... I had to let everyone know they HAD to see this movie... AND I had to play a more active roll in making the world a cleaner place.
I emailed everyone in my work database and told them about the movie, how it had moved me, and that I urged them to see it. A colleague on the other side of the country emailed me back and told me that Al Gore was going to train 1000 people to give the slide show from the movie to help spread the word. I knew that I wanted to be one of those 1000 people.
And I was! In January of 2007, I was one of 200 people in the third training of The Climate Project (http://www.theclimateproject.org/). I committed to doing at least 10 presentations in the coming year, and had high hopes for really changing the world. Since that time I have given dozens of presentations everywhere from churches and schools, to conferences and businesses. I have had people tell me that my talk has changed their life, and I've had others argue the "theory" of global warming with me with all their heart and soul. Although the jury is still out how much this work is really changing the world, it's been a tremendous experience.
Now, I am actively involved in trying to bring awareness to ACES, the energy/environmental bill that just barely passed in the house in june, and will be before the senate sometime this fall. As this blog goes on I will talk more about that, and what everyone can do to help support (and strengthen) this legislation.
Meanwhile, I want to focus more on how I want to live a more sustainable life. What am I already doing that I want to urge others to do? What do I want to do more of in my life? What do I need to do to get there? Can I help, encourage and inspire others while I'm on my way?
Today was a hot, windy, and partly sunny day. A perfect day for drying clothes out on my clothes line. When I bought the umbrella like contraption a couple of years ago, my daughter and boyfriend laughed at me... "you're not gonna use that!"
Boy, were they wrong! I love it! Not only do my clothes smell awesome (nothing like climbing into a freshly washed, air dried set of bamboo sheets!), but with every article of clothing I pin up on the line, I feel like I am really making a difference.
Today, I took one more step in a greener direction. I've been wanting to compost for a couple of years, but just never took action. A couple of months ago I order one through "Sustainable Sudbury" (previously known as Earth Decade Committee, http://sudburyedc.org/), and finally picked it up today!!
Luckily my sister and nieces were visiting, so I got some help putting it together... Mary gave me some tips.... turn it upside down AND get someone to help to snap the two pieces together. THAT was a good tip.. couldn't have done it without you Harri, thank you! I've placed it in a sunny spot, close enough to the house so that I'll use it, and lined the bottom with twigs to increase air flow, as Mary suggested. I will keep you all posted as I venture into this completely new experience!
Well, that's it for now. Going to go make some dinner and pay my bills!
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