Hello, new readers, and welcome to my small corner of the web. I expect you may be wondering what this blog is all about and who I am, so allow me to explain.
First off, who am I? I’m a Gen-X-aged woman living in Oak Park, IL, which is just outside the city limits of Chicago. I’ve been interested in and concerned about environmental issues for over 20 years and I’m thrilled to see more focus on these matters in the United States in recent years. Over the last several years, we’ve tried to lighten our footprint on the earth in this house. We’re far from green utopia perfect – and no one is – but we don’t believe we have to be perfect. Neither do you.
So what is this blog all about? It’s also about living in a more environmentally friendly way, about saving money where possible, and about eating ethically and well on a budget. In my experience, those things can and often do overlap. Decreasing consumption will necessarily lead to spending less money. Eating well often means preparing food yourself, maybe even growing food yourself, and both of those things are usually cheaper than the alternatives. I’ve found that eating local and in season means better tasting food as well. Still, being green, saving money, and eating well don’t overlap 100% of the time, particularly when eating well and eating on a budget clash, but that gives us an opportunity to discuss what we value. Sometimes I choose eating well over saving money. You might too, or you might choose saving money, or it might depend on circumstances right at that moment.
As you might have guessed from the title of the blog, it’s also about Oak Park in particular. The city is only 6 blocks away, so our streets are just as busy and the lots our houses sit on are the same size as Chicago’s. This is essentially an urban environment. Being green in an urban environment presents challenges and opportunities that aren’t present in a more suburban, an ex-urban or a rural environment, so those challenges and opportunities will become the focus of many of these posts. One of the reasons I love living in Oak Park is not just that it’s a veritable extension of Chicago but also because Oak Park is very progressive and on the whole, we are focused on living a more green life. I’ll write about goings-on and issues local to Oak Park from time to time.
That’s it for now. Glad to have you here.
