On the Green Path: Get Outside and Play!
Five Tips, Five Topics - Get Your Green On!
There's so much interest in this topic, and so many types of advice, it can be overwhelming! I've divided this hub into 5 parts, so you can read them one at a time or choose the one that's most important to you.
- On the Green Path: Get Outside and Play! (You are here)
- Being Green: Eat Right, Marry Well, Big Picture.
- Green Home Ec: Line Your Eco-Nest
- Green Career: Right Livelihood
- Big Green World: Think Globally, Act Locally
The Fun We Have...
On the Green Path: Get Outside and Play!
What makes the biggest difference in living right?
Get outside and have fun! Outdoor recreation is not just for kids.
Outdoor activity boosts vitamin D, serotonin levels, circulation, fitness, lung function, and a host of other health benefits. Plus, you get a first-hand appreciation of nature's seasonal highlights. After you get your "fresh air fix," you have a much better chance of tackling everything else with a good heart.
'Leave No Trace' is for spies. Every creature leaves a unique mark on its path - that's why tracking works. Good wilderness hygeine is important in sensitive wilderness sanctuaries, for maintaining scenic treasures, and for public health. But if it's all "do not touch" and "be quiet," will you love it? Consider these other options for ordinary recreation:
If you crave excitement, try windsurfing. Or kayaking. Or simulated combat games, like outdoor paintball and battle-recreation.
If you adore creativity, take an outdoor art class. Journal, scrapbook, or write nature songs to the rhythm of your bicycle. Collect feathers, clay, and other natural objects, and make a really special Halloween costume or May basket. Create a garden patio or outdoor fireplace.
If you grok science or detective games, try a 'citizen science' hobby such as bird-watching, mycology, or astronomy. Amateurs in these fields regularly make important contributions to science. Keep a journal or blog about your discoveries.
If you have kids, try family-friendly camping and day trips. Avoid dusty, bug-eaten nightmares. Find a great place: A mountain from their favorite movie or book, a lake where you can catch fat old frogs or swim and waterski, a waterfall you can walk under, a wild berry patch where you can pick your own dessert.
If you're a people person, what about a block party? Or a walking tour, outdoor festival, or group campout? Join a gardening club. Take your cousins to the beach. Make a date for courtyard coffee, a picnic lunch, or a sunset stroll.
If you don't have time for grand gestures, just get outside every day. Visit the park once a week, and watch the seasonal changes. Walk your kids to school. Walk a dog, share garden tips, or ride your bike. Find a secret "sit spot" and make it your own. Notice things. Breathe.
But how does playing outside save the planet?
You can't save what you don't know. Don't be a stranger. You have the right to enjoy nature's bounty, and the responsibility to care for the places you love.
Be happy, healthy, and powerful. Breathe fresh air, be alert and aware, and get a natural 'high' from all that beauty and exercise. Get wet, get muddy, get sweaty, then dry off and enjoy a well-earned treat. Let nature feed your body and soul.
When nature gives you what you need, you naturally give back.
