Running and Living Green

Thursday is almost over. I have been assigned a project at work that is consuming most of my waking hours and will most certainly take over my life for the next few weeks at least.

But I really feel the need to contribute to this week's Take it and Run Thursday at Runners' Lounge. This subject is very appropriate for someone like me. I'll explain why.

I am not the most environmentally conscious person you will find. This does not mean I don't care about the environment...I really do. I am grateful for the wonderful world we live in and am constantly amazed by it's beauty. What would we do if we didn't have lovely wooded paths and untouched mountain trails to run on?

It's just that I happen to be one of those people so wrapped up in the joys and challenges of everyday living that I sometimes tend to forget that the world around me needs loving nurturing. There, I said it.

I am not entirely at fault, though. I do a few things unconsciously that can be considered 'green' (only some of them are associated with running, but might as well add them to the list).

- Wasting things bothers me. I never fully grasped the concept of a disposable society. Except toilet paper and paper towels, everything else at home is reused - including water bottles, grocery bags and take out containers (OK, just the plastic ones). I recycle my running shoes (or reuse them as walking shoes).

- Since I started running, most of my grocery shopping is done at the Farmer's Market (that counts, right?)

- I am not a shopaholic. I have one pair of work shoes that I will wear till they are worn out on the outside (the inside doesn't matter; I can live with that). Now, running shoes, they are a different matter!

- One of my pet peeves is littering in public. I cannot stand it when people casually toss garbage by the side of the road, just because they are too lazy to find a trash can. I try to pick up trash that I find strewn about, but don't do it often enough. I carry banana peels or used GU packs with me on long runs, until I can find a trash can to toss them in.

- I recycle - though I admit, I don't do it all the time. Laziness often takes over.

- I have never calculated my carbon footprint, but am willing to bet the amount of greenhouse gases I leave in my wake are less than those produced by the average individual living in the United States.

- I rarely fly

- I drive a battered Hyundai Accent 4-door that has absolutely no snob appeal and gives me close to 35 miles per gallon on the highway.

But, in the spirit of making a conscious attempt to go green, when my faithful Accent finally gives up, I will buy a hybrid car.