With my fundraising goal reached, some reflection on daily blogging
When I decided to do a “green” blog challenge as my fundraising pledge, I figured a daily commitment would be easier to stick to than a weekly one because I can’t procrastinate. It has its downsides from a content perspective — lack of time to fully develop arguments with good sources, or to edit properly (I also don’t use spellcheck). But generating a daily post means I get it done without getting caught up in perfectionism or letting ideas become stale. I hope ultimately that, among unexpected duds, my content is better.
It might seem at first like writing about the environment is a constrained topic. I discovered as I branched out, however, that I can write about the environment in the context of design, art, health, technology and film. It goes to show that there are multiple ways of relating to environmental issues, and that the environment really does touch, affect and inspire all aspects of our life, especially culture. When you look at it that way, you can begin to understand how when natural systems are unhealthy and disrupted, we are affected, even if the effects are subtle or appear slowly over the long term. As David Suzuki puts it, “What we do to the environment, we do to ourselves.”
This is the 48th post since I started January 28th, and I didn’t expect it to take so long to reach my $300 fundraising goal, achieved today. I have definitely lost sleep (am currently losing sleep to write this), ignored flossing a few times, cut social engagements short (bloggers’ meetup, case in point) and I’ve put up the odd lazy post without photos or proper excerpts. Was it worth it? Definitely. I knew I would get something personal out of blogging regularly again, after my terrible performance last year. The three biggest things I discovered are that I do in fact have ideas that I can produce into something longer than a Facebook status update; when I’m tired I somehow find the energy to write without being conscious of my exhaustion; and when I’m creative time can slow down, feeling fuller and appreciated.
While my main goal was fundraising, I also aimed to educate my readers, start conversations, hear your ideas and challenge perspectives. Ultimately, change comes out of dialogue, a two-way engagement.
Thank you for your words of encouragement and special thank yous to the dozen or so people who donated to support my most important cause.
Sustainability issues are my greatest passion aside from my creative ones, and I love writing about it, but moving forward I’d like to continue writing about other topics that are more distinctly cultural, like music and food, and health issues from cultural and political perspectives. That said, if you see me not keeping up once a week or so from now on, give me a poke. Better yet, give me an idea you’d like to see me write about, and I’ll do my best to reply. I should start soon with Mark’s question of the ten best things the average person can do for the planet which, if you’ve been reading closely, is ten great things you can do for yourself. I’m also planning an interview with the Greenest City folks.
More to come. Stay with me…
This daily green blog challenge is in celebration of David Suzuki’s 75th birthday on March 24, supporting the David Suzuki Foundation. Please support our work to ensure a healthy environment by donating online now. Afterward, don’t forget to write a birthday message for David!
