About

 

 

 

When it comes to saving the planet, I’m conscientious. I do my part. After all, now and again, the chorus of a grade school song about the 3 Rs plays in my head, “we’ll reduce it, we’ll reuse it, we’ll re-cy-cle it. We’ll win the war on waste, for tomorrow’s sake …” and hearing it makes me think about making greener choices. I even wrote my sixth grade speech on the harmful effects of acid rain. Buying traditionally raised meat that hasn’t travelled far and wide to reach my plate is important to me. And, when possible, I buy organic fruits and vegetables, and then carry them home in a (cute) reusable shopping bag. I even saved an acre of the rainforest! I try and keep pace with the climate change issues of the day and I don’t own a car, though think owning a hybrid car one day would be nice. With nature loving parents who took me and my brother bird watching when we were kids, and taught us to appreciate and respect all the little critters on earth, I guess it’s no surprise I behave this way.

Truly, I thought I was doing pretty well at being “green,” that is, until, I met Mr. Green.

If you ask him, Mr. Green would tell you he’s not an environmentalist. But he does understand environmental issues and he’s committed to the conservation and improvement of our planet through his own individual actions (he’s been vegetarian for years) and by influencing those around him. He believes that improvements to our environmental conditions must come from individual behavioral changes and be complimented by an industrial transition to a green economy.

So, despite all of my efforts to reduce my carbon footprint, when we met, I was greener at first sight.

On our first date, we went to a baseball game. Normally, I’d cab from my apartment but we took the greenest alternative available to us at the time – TTC. The tickets had been donated to my office by a giant, multinational chemical company. Knowing Mr. Green cared deeply about making green choices, I worried about how he felt benefiting from the profits of an environmental evil-doer. Thankfully, Mr. Green was unfazed (or, he gave me a free pass) and we’ve enjoyed countless greener dates since.

I’m no expert in climate change or environmental issues or vegetarianism, but, since meeting Mr. Green, I am getting greener. In this blog, I intend to talk about everyday greener alternatives, discuss the ideas and trends that are shaping our climate, and, hopefully, help other relationships become a little greener too.