Living in Vancouver is not a small thing, besides the constant rain and the chilly winds, life in Vancouver is all colored green. It’s astonishing coming from abroad and watching how the respect for nature is an intrinsic characteristic of the city. Buildings are built integrating nature, not against it. The air and the sound of seagulls cheer the morning that also smells like fresh coffee (organic, fair-trade and served on a cute mug). If you are lucky enough to wake up to a sunny day, it will be magical, almost surreal.

Something I love about Vancouverites is that they inherited the appreciation for nature from their native ancestors, and make it work with their innovative, technological new world. The respect they show extends to each person self. Letting people be themselves just like letting flowers blossom, and that is also an endearing appreciation for human nature.

I am aware there is still a way to go to make our modern lifestyle more sustainable, but I believe this city is going through the right path. By making being green a holistic perspective that goes far beyond recycling and it’s ingrained in our everyday activities and (most importantly) decisions.

It is sometimes difficult to appreciate such mentality when you have always been exposed to it. Never the less, having a green lifestyle is an asset that gives Vancouver its unique spirit.

I come from a big Metropolis that emanates buzz, colors, traffic, and noise. We are certainly dependent on ecology, but we haven’t seen it in the same way as Vancouverites do. We still use nature as a source, one that has been exhausted by the overpopulated crowd. It is about time we start learning from this holistic approach.