Sunday, March 25, 2007

I can't run! :(

Well, I can run, but I probably wouldn't be doing myself any favours.

I got ill on Tuesday night and had to take the day off work on Wednesday. I also went to the doctors on Friday to get antibiotics for my sore throat. My virus (which I think it is, although my throat was a bit of a bacterial infection) is moving and changing in how it lingers in my body.

First it was bad headache, aches and pains etc. Now, come Sunday it is just a bad cold with plenty of sneezing and nose-blowing for good measure.

So I guess it's just lots of R&R until my health is back up to speed and I can resume the pounding of the pavements and park lanes.

A big thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far. My 10km run is on 5th May in Edinburgh so if you would like to sponsor me please click on the 'justgiving' link on the right-hand-side of my blog.

GreenAbby x

Friday, March 09, 2007

Eat your greens, keep healthy

Well life rolls on very busily.

It's hard to be actively and consciously green all the time, particularly when lots of other things in your life take you away from being able to think and act on it so easily.

Health is a big issue....I work in the Health Service, I know lots of people, including myself, who need to maintain their health through drugs and medicine etc

I guess there must an environmental impact of healthcare - in terms of wastage, resources used, keeping people alive for longer which puts more of a strain on the earth's resources etc.

You could then argue, if you really wanted to, well let's just let a few people die then the impact wont be so intense on the environment. But that's just silly, plus it's also rather unimaginative and lazy. Many organisations and individuals have shown that waste can be reduced, and practices can be adjusted to ensure that the impact on the environment is drawn back to a sustainable level.

What we really need is courage, strength and vision to put these sorts of ideas and attitudes into the mainstream of 'how we do things', at every level of life and human existence. So, a big project.....

It's a global cultural shift in our attitudes, behaviours and perspectives which is required. This has to occur at micro/individual, organisational, governmental and world levels.

I think it's slowly but surely starting to happen on a more serious, practical level.

The thing is, culture change takes time, and it can also be very painful. We all get accustomed to certain ways, we are by our very nature creatures of habit, so it's understandable if there's resistance, denial and struggle.

So we have to be patient with ourselves and one another, but also continually determined and positive in our approach and resolve to put issues of the earth and our survival at the heart of all that we do.

Ok, that's my green rant. Make sure you eat your greens - they're lovely, the earth, sun and rain grew them. They might also keep you away from the health service for a while longer.