I have contemplated starting a blog for some time now. In fact, I had an amateurish Blogspot blog for some time, devoted strictly to travel journals and photos. But the driving impetus for starting this new blog, on Memorial Day 2010, is the ongoing disaster that is the Gulf Oil Spill.
I am maddened by the selfishness and complacency of those around me. We all self-righteously wag our fingers at industry and complain about the inadequacy of the government response. And yet, what strikes me is that we have only the industry, and the government, that we deserve.
Of course we should agitate for changes in regulation of Big Oil. Of course we should vote for politicians who will aggressively protect our environment and the planet at large. But these actions should always be secondary to examining our own lives for the impact our lifestyle choices play in the ongoing degradation of the earth. The words that inspire me in this regard are those of Mohandas Gandhi: “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
The site’s name reflects my desire to push “Green Living” to the absolute outer edge, to learn what life looks and feels like in the absence of the energy-intensive comforts and conveniences of modern american life. I will blog on my experiments and experiences in this vein. But I will also have posts relating to adventure travel, parenting, culture, politics, and other miscellaneous topics to be determined.
If you have gotten this far, I thank you for your interest and hope to hear from you in the comments sections of my posts.
Jason