The mission

My name is Heather and this blog is about my quest to live a greener, healthier, more fulfilling life. There are several reasons for me starting a blog, and the most important is that if I write about my efforts, I know it will keep me committed and hold me accountable for my actions.

Here are a few facts about me (and my boyfriend, who is as much a part of this as I am, and just as committed, thankfully):
1. I am a biologist and Joe works in finance, though I can't disclose where. Other jobs we have held: Registered Veterinary Technician, amateur skateboarder for Red Bull, server at Ruby Tuesday, intern at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, molecular biology technician at Princeton University, cashier at Burger King, sales associate at Hollister and at the Limited.
2. My degree is in marine biology. Joe has a degree in finance and marketing. We both went to state schools. I've wanted to be a marine biologist since I was 4 and saw Shamu at Sea World. I haven't given up completely on that dream, but for now it's been put on hold.
3. We are both the oldest in our families. He has 2 brothers and a sister and I have 2 sisters and a brother. We both live at home to save money (plus NJ is expensive). We each live with both parents and a grandmother, and two out of three siblings (one of our siblings each is away at college). He is seven years younger than me. That seems to bother other people more than us. He is very mature and I am very young (not immature, but I like to have fun) and we fit perfectly together.
4. We love animals and have 2 dogs. Chino Moreno is an 8 year old yellow lab that lives with me and Hendrix is a 7 month old lab/American Bulldog mix that lives with Joe.
5. I have been a vegetarian for about 17 years, eating fish or poultry occasionally, but basically adhering to the lifestyle. I started out feeling guilty about eating animals but it has become habit at this point. I feel like I am making a better choice for my health and the environment. Joe has become a vegetarian by default, because I don't know how to cook meat. His family is Hispanic and never ate much red meat. In the year we have been dating he has tried, and enjoyed, Boca burgers, Morningstar chicken, Tofurkey, and tofu. He says chicken smells like our puppy and he can never eat it again because of that.
6. Joe and I are both volunteers on the First Aid squad in our town. He's been an EMT for about 6 years. I'm the president of the auxiliary, because I don't have the time to become a certified EMT as well. Other volunteer work we have done: Habitat for Humanity, Clean Ocean Action, the DNC.
7. We enjoy the outdoors. We like hiking, going to the beach, kayaking and surfing. We don't have a lot of extra time, but if we did, we would also bike, camp, rock climb, dive, and water ski.
8. I am a roller girl. I've been a member of the Jersey Shore Roller Girls since February and roller derby is just about the most fun thing I can think of. I skate under the name Velocity Grrl #39. Joe has gotten involved as well, mostly because he wants to spend time with me and roller derby takes up a lot of time.
9. I've lived in NJ my whole life, and Joe has lived here most of his. We are victims/participants in NJ's consumerist lifestyle. Here in NJ everyone not only tried to keep up with the Jones's, they try to be the Jones, even if it means living well beyond their means. Here's what Jack & Choke, my friend, a massage therapist and a New York transplant has to say about it, "The cost of living in NJ is astronomical, so most of the people who live here are either operating in a comfortable income bracket, or just go broke trying to keep up appearances to this degree. Because of this, they are accustomed to things like going to a spa and getting a massage (which becomes my paycheck and pays my bills). On top of this, they usually want the world to know that they're good tippers, so they just about throw money at you when the girls at the desk hand them those little manila envelopes at check-out. I know girls that I went to school with who are having a tough time making money at home, so I'm really grateful that people in Jersey spend money like water." It's true. I do spend money like water. And most of the things I spend money on are not green.


Here are our present goals:
1. Drastically reduce the amount of plastic in our life.
2. Embrace the 3 Rs.
3. Eliminate as any toxins as possible from our lives.
4. Eat organic as much as possible, and at least the Dirty Dozen. (This goes along with number 4.)
5. Start going to the gym more often.
6. Find other, more productive ways to volunteer our time.

I hope this list will grow over time, as we achieve these goals and realize other ways to improve our life and increase our impact on humanity and decrease our impact on the environment. Hopefully along the way I will pick up some readers who will pass along their tips. Thanks for reading.