Living a greener existence is not limited to changing consumer habits and using biodegradable cleaning products and compact fluorescent bulbs.  Green living is about reconnecting to nature and reexamining your personal connection to the environment you live in.  Now don't get me wrong! I'll take saving the planet any way I can get it, so if all you're willing to do is change your consumer habits and switch to green cleaning products and compact fluorescents, that's great!  And thank you.  But there is a way of life that we've gotten away from that involves spending a lot more time outside.  It's about playing outside, learning about nature and exploring it to find its beauty and wonder.  Its about seeing the big picture and how we fit into it.  There's something about spending a day in a canoe, dwarfed by the massive volume of water under you, or standing atop a mountain, looking down at the endless air and ground before you that really makes you appreciate your place in the world.

Everytime you reconnect with nature, whether for the first or hundredth time, it's like finding a piece of you you didn't know you had.  For me it's learning by sheer experience.  I feel enriched and headstrong in a way that no amount of reading or teaching could ever provide. 

When you connect with nature on this level, it will not only be easier to live a green life but it will actually make sense to you.  You'll see for yourself why green choices are important because you'll once again have a personal connection to the environment we've all grown numb to. And based on this connection many of your life's decisions will seem somehow clearer and easier to make.

What Can You Do?

Take up cycling, sailing, rock-climbing or hiking or just take a walk or have a picknick in the park.  It doesn't matter what you do or how you do it, what's important is that you find a slice of green somewhere and take it in whenever you can.  Get your whole family involved to help instill outdoor appreciation in your children early.