Challenge Day 1: The road to enlightenment does not have to include socks with Birkenstocks!

 

Ahh, day one of my 30 day commitment.  Feels good!  We had a fantastic fall weekend consisting of a wonderful walk (a hike for an 18 month old) and picnic on Mount Royal, dinner & visits with friends, and a wonderful walk through our neighborhood parks.  It feels good to breathe the crisp fresh air and Nicolas had those wonderful pink cheeks. 

This morning we got up and dressed warmly once again.  This time to go along the Lachine Canal.  I feel so lucky to have such a great green space right in my backyard.  Every morning that we can, Nicolas and I walk into Old Montreal:  he to his daycare and me to my office.  It’s been one of the greatest benefits of moving downtown and close to my office.  I find that this morning walk is better than a strong cup of java the morning and it lets me decompress at the end of the day.   

No car! Walking to work and daycare on a gorgeous October morning.

I think that my move into a downtown ‘hood’ that lets me walk therapeutically along the canal every day was probably one of the most significant factors in my getting interested in making greater environmental changes in my life and community.  No, I’m not about to give up my car or international travel; and I’m very far away from even *considering* Birkenstocks with socks.  But when I see garbage on the street, litter in our local playground, plastic bags floating in the canal, or get one whiff of anything that smells like Fabreze I get frustrated and disgusted.  And these are just little things –what about the bigger pollutants and toxic substances that we encounter every day?

In preparation for this challenge I’ve been reading ‘Green for Life’ by Canadian author Gillian Deacon.  It is a great ‘how to ‘eco’ ’ guide that I recommend for everyone who wants to take baby steps to decrease their environmental impact and increase their awareness of what goes into making a sustainable product.  I’ll be referencing this book, and others, often over the next few weeks.

Well that’s it for now.  I’m on my way to a much needed kickboxing class and an evening meeting for the LivBlu event.