At its heart, going green is about conservation and the natural environment. For instance, the root purpose of paper recycling is to conserve trees, and therefore woodland habitat. However, an increasing number of people, most specifically city dwellers, don’t really understand their connection to the outdoors, or for that matter have ever really experienced it. For many people, the great outdoors is simply the space between the car and the door. If a person has not experienced the beauty of the forest, or paddled against the current of a river, they can’t truly understand what deforestation really means, or what damming a river can do the area around. Someone sitting high up in an office building looking out at other towering buildings for days and days cannot fully comprehend the effect their lifestyle has on the environment.
I’ve received what you might call an outdoor education. From the young age of two I began teetering around in the woods and climbing trees. The Boy Scouts have greatly contributed to my outdoor skills and provide the opportunity for fantastic wilderness excursions. I attribute my concern and love for nature to my outdoor education and training, from rambling through the woods to scaling mountains to paddling the boundary waters. If more people received an education like this, I think they would then truly understand what going green is all about.