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Green Journal #4: Green on the Road
May 21, 2007

This week I went on vacation with my family in Vancouver, Canada. Although the weather was still a bit brisk for this Californian, I was curious to see Vancouver, known for its natural beauty as well as “Best City in Americas” by Conde Nast three years running.

Vancouver City is a large city surrounded by water on the north, south and west side and mountain views to the east. Although the skylines are dotted with modern high-rises, the city’s appreciation of the great outdoors is evident in the sea of greenery visible from all viewpoints. Stanley Park is an impressive city park spanning more than 1000 acres and sits on the edge of Vancouver. Visitors are encouraged to stroll, run or bike through the park on well-planned walking and biking paths. In fact, the main path actually starts in downtown at Canada Place and runs along the seawall for 22 kilometers to Kitsilano Beach, making it the world’s longest uninterrupted waterfront walkway. We rented a couple bikes and a kiddie trailer and pretty much biked around the city, took in some sights, stopped at local eateries and enjoyed the scenery without ever getting on an actual city road! The tourists aren’t the only people who seem to utilize bike lanes. In addition to the scenic path, there are wide bike lanes within the city to encourage the urbanites to use their bikes to and from work. If San Francisco had been set up this way, there sure wouldn’t be any Critical Mass demonstrations. The public transportation is also very convenient and expansion of the metro system is well underway in preparation for the 2010 Olympics. Since there is no “highway” to get around or through the city, public transportation is a much better bet than driving. We were quite envious and wished we had a convenient transportation alternative around the Bay Area, especially on the Peninsula.

Besides the nice city/nature planning, the natural surroundings also allow countless options for fresh, local cuisine. While visiting the Vancouver Aquarium (smaller in scale than Monterey but more manageable for younger kids), we learned of Ocean Wise Program where participating local restaurants serve only seafood that are abundant and not over-fished or endangered. With so many thriving species, restaurant patrons can still enjoy a variety of wonderful cuisine while maintaining sea life balance. During our week, we pretty much ate local seafood and produce without any additional effort and thoroughly enjoyed all of our meals. One afternoon, we visited Granville Island and the famed Granville Public Market to purchase some locally produced gifts and excellent organic noshings (cheese, bread and early summer fruits) for a lovely picnic along the water.

I really enjoyed our time in Vancouver and would love to go back some time to see other parts of British Columbia. Although we were away from home, I realized it wasn’t difficult to enjoy ourselves while still holding true to my green journal resolutions. We did a lot of walking and biking to see the sites; we ate and purchased local and organic foods and our water bottles came in handy during our rides and walks. Now that we are back, I am refreshed and ready to tackle my next green action, switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs.

CindyC

Previous Entries:
Farmers’ Market : Eating Local
BYOC : Bring Your Own Cup
BYOB : Bring Your Own Bag

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