Introduction to godivafootprints350

Hello one and all. Here's hoping that this maiden voyage into blogging yields food for thought and a few laughs for the soul. A heartfelt thanks to all of you who provided the warm hospitality and shelter along journey. It was inspiring and I could not have asked for more. I hope that the people I met along the way will post their thoughts and photos here and add their voices to this story.


First, an explanation of the tittle of my trek - Godiva Footprints 350

What is the 350 all about?

350ppm is what science agrees is the safe upper limit of CO2 in our atmosphere. Right now we are sitting around 380ppm. We need to bring that down.

Around the world people and communities are putting hearts and minds together to host actions and events to remind and inspire us that little by little we can make a big difference. Google 350.org for more about this international call to action.


My action? a vacation with intention. A trek with my horse, Trooper, from the farm in Douro, Ontario to Bloomfield, Prince Edward County and back – aprox 350 KM round trip. My hope was that I would find shelter and hospitality along my route , and that my hosts and I would talk about climate change : what they know about it, how it has effected their lives, what we can do about it in the small ways of everyday life. In general how we can live sustainably on the planet.


Why Footprints?

Because ‘reducing our ecological footprint’ is part of looking after the earth and all its creatures.

Because I hope to be inspired, to be imprinted and also to leave my mark on those we meet.

Because of the poem Footprints in the Sand that tells of being carried by one who loves us when we are at a very hard place in our lives.

Because we are ‘carried’ by this fragile planet, just as my horse will carry me, just as the kindness of strangers will shelter us both.
Because Trooper and I will be making foot/hoof prints as we trek :)


Why Godiva? Because just the mention of the name ‘ Lady Godiva’ usually makes people smile, and the reason we smile is that she took a risk and it paid off- she did the unexpected. The story goes that she recognized the suffering of her people and kept asking her husband, the Earl of Mercia to lower the taxes. One day he challenged her saying ‘I will lower the taxes if you ride your horse through the streets naked!!!' Why did he make such an outrageous suggestion? Perhaps he was telling her that if they lowered the taxes she would have to go with less clothing and finery? Or maybe if he lowered the taxes this would be an embarrassing admission that he had made a mistake in letting them get so high, and if he was going to be humiliated so was she???

Whatever his reasons he certainly did not expect her to do it!! But she did. She removed all her jewels and clothing, that which represented her status, power and independence, and rode through the streets on her horse naked and vulnerable.

Our human lifestyle, our ‘ecological footprint’ is taxing the planet – we are the “Lord’ and perhaps, like him we resist admitting that our lifestyle needs to change, and do not believe that others would change even if we did. But we are also the “Lady” we can persist and we can risk change, and take up the challenge and be remembered as someone who did the unexpected


Why do this at all? – for fun, for adventure, for inspiration, for hope. “Honest hope is movement” says Frances Moore Lapee in her book “Hopes Edge”, so I took to the road for a 'green' vacation that generated minimal CO2, and that connected me to the places and people of this part of the province.Why? To slow the pace of life, be reminded of the basic necessities –food , water, shelter, to rely on myself and on the kindness of those that I met along the way, rekindling our trust in humanity on a small, local scale. Climate change and our adaptation to it is about allot of things but mostly I think it is about looking after each other and he planet.


So, what happened on the trek from Sept 29 through to Oct 7, 2009 ?

AMAZING - rural hospitality is alive and well, and climate change and living lightly on the planet are relevant and real topics of conversation and daily struggles to live it.


Besides the photos and the stories I also wanted to create some kind of momento of the trek. I asked each of my hosts to provide me with a piece of material or other small object that I could include in an art instalation tittled "framed intentions", an expression of our desire and ability to act on ‘Yes to Less’ and to reduce our carbon footprint. I am still awaiting the delivery a few contributions... Ann? Debby? Jackie? Jan?


Looking forward to reading the bits and pieces you offer. Happy, hopeful trails.