Green as a Thistle

September has been a pretty lazy month for me, at least in terms of this challenge. I blame lots of things: the Toronto film festival, a trip to the Banff Centre and, I’ll admit, an onset of the green blues. I’m not going to complain because there are far worse things in life than trying to be environmentally conscious. That said, trying to remember over 200 different ways of being environmentally conscious isn’t always so much fun. It doesn’t help, either, that every media outlet is still obsessing over all things green, from the threat of global warming to the trend of “eco-chic” tote bags, not to mention the onslaught of green products, green services, green businesses and all-round greenwashing. Honestly, I’m starting to get a little sick of the whole thing. Sometimes, I just want to wake up and go about my day and not have to worry about whether or not I’ve poured too much water into the kettle for my morning coffee.

Nonetheless, I’ve persevered, and while there have been plenty of silly little changes this month — like altering the margins on my Word documents, eating ice cream in a cone rather than a cup and shaving in the sink — there have also been a couple more substantial ones. I signed up for a regular CSA delivery and am loving the challenge of eating seasonally (I even managed to make a great soup using two types of squash, without using my oven). I’ve been making sure to only eat fish if it’s ethically raised and caught, and I’m no longer using toilet paper for #1 (thanks to my trusty water bottle, this is going just fine, though I’m not sure I’ll be able to give it up for #2 anytime soon).

I got a little sidetracked when the Gyllenhaalics came knocking, but it was fun to have some new visitors and learn that the Brokeback Mountain star is not a fan of cilantro. And all you wonderful, quirky readers proved to me once again that it’s impossible to predict which posts will generate the most debate — who knew, for instance, the subject of reusing towels would provoke 23 comments?

Anyway, enough laziness, enough complaining, I’m going into October with the promise of a few more substantial changes and a lot more enthusiasm — I hope you’ll come with me!

Comic from Toothpaste for Dinner

Who doesn’t like a good shortcut? I mean, really, why bother taking the hour-long scenic route to the ice cream parlor when you can just make a quick left, hop over the median, crash through some bushes, pull a quick U-turn and be there in five minutes?

Well, actually, it seems Mother Nature isn’t so fond of shortcuts.

Obviously, careening an SUV through someone’s rose garden isn’t very green, but neither is straying from a designated path while hiking up a mountain or walking in the woods — you might be trampling a microscopic ecosystem, killing off essential organisms or contributing to soil erosion.

So despite my impatience and punctuality issues, I’m going to make sure that from now on, I stick to the path whenever I’m walking through Trinity Bellwoods, going for a run in High Park or hiking around Algonquin (which I’ll be doing next weekend). Maybe I’ll even stop to smell a few roses… as long as my allergies aren’t getting to me.

Photo courtesy of me, taken while on a hike up Tunnel Mountain in Banff