It's only been 2 weeks since my family and I glanced across Paris atop the beautiful Eiffel Tower, since I smiled with child-like wonder as Mona Lisa and I met for the first time at The Louvre, since we played eye-spy while gazing in awe at Antoni Gaudi's eclectic La Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona. C'est tres magnifique, oui, oui! And yes, crepes were divine:)
This trip made me realize how important it is to retain historical artifacts for future generations. We experienced paintings, sculptures, churches, castles and gardens from the 1500's that revealed how humanity lived, loved, prayed, fought, struggled and endured. Some of what we experienced were whimsical and passionate while other parts were uncomfortable and disturbing. But, we learned so much about how humanity has evolved by seeing it with our own eyes.
Another key lesson we learned from our European trip was that Paris and Barcelona are more progressive when it comes to environmental sustainability. We saw very little single-use plastics in grocery stores, restaurants and fast food shops. We noticed how many people walked, rode bikes and used public transit like buses, trains and ride share services. There were very prominent public recycle bins positioned around the city districts that collected paper, plastics, e-waste, metals and clothing. Repair shops for just about every type of item you might have like watches, shoes, appliances, clothing and more. We also loved the walkable cities that reduced dependence on long commutes, encouraged biking and offered several green spaces for children, pets and adults to enjoy.
Now that I'm back in San Diego, I'm motivated more than ever with Cause San Diego to see how we can accelerate the adoption of similar sustainability practices within businesses, city designs and our individual households. There are cities around the world showing us how its done so let's make it happen:)
#Paris #Barcelona #livinghistory #sustainability #SanDiego #protectourfuture
