Day 18 - Where did all my environmentalists go?

I don't go half a day without someone asking me where I am from and I love telling people I'm from Colorado -- because it's awesome! People have the most random assumptions about CO (some true and some not so true) but there are a lot of things that I take for advantage.
Things I took advantage of in CO:
#1 Other people like the planet just as much as I do.
- there is so much litter here! I went for a run this morning and was worried I was going to get glass in my shoes
- no recycling at my apartment (this makes me super sad, I will have to find a place to take my recycling)
- very conservative views all around, which means no one to share one of my passions with, kinda frustrating
- less time outside marveling at how beautiful it is with other people

#2 People are fit
- OKC was recently nominated most unhealthy city, which I find it a little hard to believe (mainly because I see people active all the time while being active myself) but I have to assume there must be unfit people hiding inside or something
- its hard to want to go get exercise outside because it is super hot out!
- No sidewalks to bike or run on near where I live. weird.

#3 The weather is ... not humid or ridiculously hot.
- In Colorado you can play outside! Well at least in the mornings and evening, and cool nights mean you can wear sweaters! (i love sweaters!). Here I am a little afraid of heat stroke.
- OK's tornados...

Things people assume about Colorado:
- we're all hippies (I probably don't help that sterotype all that much, but we have plenty of business folks)
- we're all potheads (I've never smoked pot, so this helps my CO's cause, but if you seen all the medical marijuana stores it is definitely different than here)
- I ski epically (well, I do snowboard, somewhat epically)

I love how people always talk about Crested Butte though, it seems like people almost always know where it is and love visiting it. Anyone who has been to Gunnison talks about how beautiful it is! It is refreshing and I love talking about it :) There must be a ton of Oklahomans who visit the slopes and I just didn't notice before.

I think I need to find an outlet here for my green views and some volunteering, maybe at least some great books to keep me thinking.
http://www.keepoklahomabeautiful.com/ <- an option, but the group doesn't seem very active. Apparently there is also an environmental studies intern working for my company, I need to find her and figure out what her job is!

I'll figure it out sometime soon! For now I'll have read me some National Geographic :)



(btw this picture is from a short and interesting article about environmentalism as a religion which should/could be protected in the workplace with protection of their beliefs. interesting concept)
http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/2009/11/is-environmentalism-a-religion.html