Time to Walk the Walk

Let me be the first to admit it:

I've been an environmental wallflower.

For years, I've been claiming that I'm a true environmentalist who cares passionately about the natural world. Just being here in Northern California within easy access of mountains, redwoods and beaches makes me feel as if I'm, by default, a tree-hugging, Earth-loving, granola-crunching hippie. My occasional weekend trips to the outdoors to do some hiking or camping would further justify in my mind that I really cared about the environment. If I was spending the time to enjoy the beauty of our national parks and forests, then surely I was being a good steward for our planet.

At least I thought I was.

Lately, with a lot of the recent media attention being placed on climate change and the slowly deteriorating state of our planet, I started realizing that, despite my love for romping through the outdoors, I wasn't really doing anything to help fix the problem.

I was a part of it.

The tipping point came yesterday with a letter I received from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. regarding his work with Waterkeeper Alliance, an organization that is fighting to protect our nation's freshwater resources. I had seen RFK, Jr. speak in Chico last year, and was quite impressed with his passion for saving our environment. I was so impressed, that the very next day, I sent in money to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) which he serves on. But that was pretty much it. Occasionally, I'd get their newsletter sent to me regarding the plight of the polar bear or their fight against the government, and I'd throw it away in the trash without giving it an afterthought, thinking I had done my part for the environment. Heck...I gave one of the biggest environmental activist groups money. What more could you expect from me?

But now, a year has passed and after reading RFK, Jr.'s recent Waterkeeper Alliance letter, I realize that there's a lot more that I could be doing to help our environment. RFK, Jr.'s letter is just filled with one horrible statistic after another on the current state of our freshwater resources, with the government doing little to help solve the problem. I realize that this letter was written with a persuasive, angry tone that presented the facts in a manipulative way to get me to donate money to their cause (and it obviously worked, because I gave them $20 in a heartbeat). But even though I gave money to help, this time around I felt like I personally needed to do more to fix the problem. I needed to fix myself.

If the folks from Waterkeeper Alliance can take matters into their own hands and make our world a better place, then I should be able to do so, too. So that's why I decided to finally get off the fence and do something about it. This blog (and possibly a future website) will serve as a way to keep me accountable for my actions and help me continue on a path towards sustainable living. Yes, what I'm doing here isn't a new concept...there are a lot of people who are also blogging about their experiences in going green and reducing their impact on the environment. I don't claim this to be an original undertaking, and I'm not claiming to be an expert on green living, either. But this is my personal journey where I'll share with you along the way how I'm learning to be a better steward for our planet. And feel free to share your thoughts and feelings, too, as we continue on this journey together.

Welcome to A Greener Path!