In the Beginning

Once upon a time we didn't worry about our drinking water; we didn't worry about the air we breath; we didn't worry about our soil. Once upon a time we were truly naive. Ignorant. Unknowing to the environmental impacts of our actions. Now we answer to different terms. To the masses.

I remember when I created Enviro Know in college, it was an inspirationally driven site/blog/e-zine that was motivated by an article written about Severn Cullis-Suzuki. I was drawn to her power and dedication to something I too was learning in school. I was motivated by her passion and belief in all of us to make a better world for our children. As I enter a new phase of my life, with a teenage son, someday my grandchildren. I was immediately drawn to Severn's drive to stand for what was right and to let the world know they were screwing up. Each and everyone of us who didn't think when we put our garbage out, or when we fired up heavy polluting machinery and vehicles. That's passion. That's faith.

So, I created Enviro Know. My family was supportive in that we would write eachother and discuss "the cause". My mentor at Georgian recommended me for an award of "environmental excellence" which I received. My motivator, Severn Suzuki even emailed me, praising me for my efforts to try and motivate my community, with the advice to get outside and see our planet. I even met and spoke with Dr. David Suzuki during a book signing. Although, thrown by my apparent politically driven question, David signed my book and instilled yet more motivation. Then it was all gone. Like that.

After college and working in the real world, environmentally driven blogs and standards of living fell wayside. I'm even an environmental consultant and volunteer firefighter, and I just didn't bother anymore. But then I started to get motivated again. Why? Why after so long? I got angry. Since graduating college in environmental engineering technology, we've seen An Inconvenient Truth, Super size Me, Fahrenheit 9/11..all these politically driven films, with environmental undertones and accountability clause, and yet that didn't do it. Nope, it took watching people litter in my streets to remember. It took hearing that a polar icecap nearly the size of the Province of Ontario melting this past year. It took constant second glances at our fuel costs rising and rising. It took a deep cold / mild/ back to cold winter to make me remember. We are not keeping our promise. I am not keeping my promise. I've become a liar. A band wagon prophet with green dreams of being the next Severn or David or Al or even Leo!

In the beginning, I was real. I was made of sands covered in oil and flask and marl. I was tiny and bold. I was mighty yet weak. In the beginning I believed for a brief moment I could change. Change you. Change me. In the beginning I knew we would win the fight. Keep my faith. Nurture our Gaia. In the beginning I wanted something pure and sustainable. For me. In the beginning I got lost. In the end, I may have been found.

Please take a moment and explore. Explore the valuable resources regarding our environment. Think locally and we can still impact globally. Through writing, poetry, photography, music, and dance, we can help and express and motivate each other. Become the center stage. Help an animal. Help a friend. Help yourself.



I will be posting again. I need your help. Your motivation. Your drive and in turn we can do something. W.A.G.G. (we ALL go green)