DC This Week Reader Challenge WINNER! Congrats Rachel F.

I challenged DC This Week readers to tell me how they live green in their everyday life for a change to win two FREE tickets to the Live Green Summer Block Party this Thursday. Live Green makes eco-friendly living easier and more affordable in the District. They are a membership organization that provides support to green businesses in the local community and secures great discounts on everyday green products and services for their members.

Congrats to Rachel F. on winning the reader challenge. She'll score free drinks, appetizers, a green gift bag and massages from Well Being Massage all night long. No worries if you did not win, tickets are still on sale for $20 HERE. Check out Rachel's entry on how she lives green below.............




Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Rachel and I am writing to you about how I "live green." In the most literal sense of that phrase, I am not a plant, do not photosynthesize (although, I am a vegan, so we are getting pretty close), so we will have to leave that out of the equation. And no, I can't take credit for a net-zero environmental footprint. But the way I live my life reflects the deep sense of stewardship and (shall I admit) wonder I feel toward the planet.



My day job is in sustainable agriculture; my evening job is blogging about food and the environment; my weekend job is selling organic produce at the farmers market. Ok, I'm a bit food-obsessed, but what we eat is probably the closest connection any of us have with the health of the planet. I see the outreach efforts through food as the greenest part of my living, on a daily basis. Helping people to understand the impact their food has on the environment (not only degrading ecosystems but also contributing to climate change) and the part it can play in healing the planet, is one of the most rewarding ways I see contributing to the environment.



But as the recent little disputes I've had with my roommate over the air conditioning (guess which way I was leaning), I understand that not everyone buys into green living 100%. That said, I still plan to keep biking (or walking, when I have time) to work; living TV-free; recycling and composting; taking short showers; and flying as little as possible (being a poor young professional helps). Brought up in the Pacific Northwest on "Earthy Tunes," environmental stewardship pervades my thoughts and dictates almost every move I make.



For green living, that's me in a nut-shell. Lovely to make your acquaintance, and crossing my fingers that a Summer Block Party is in my future!
Cheers,
Rachel