If you're a first time visitor, let me clue you into where we are in the process of chasing clean air.
In July 2006, I noticed black soot growing on my windowsill, and, in a moment of sanity, I made a decision that it was insane and unacceptable to breathe black soot by default of living in Los Angeles.
I decided to travel to clean air locations and report my findings.
This led to dry skin in New Mexico, where I got altitude sickness in Santa Fe.
I'd learn that while the air is clean in Santa Fe, it's barely there.
And people with asthma--something I didn't know I was prone to--have more problems with high altitude than the average breather not exposed to L.A. smog for years.
This also led to clean air activism and testifying for stricter ozone standards at EPA and CARB hearings.
If you want to hear more about my clean air adventures, you'll find categories on the right panel with geographic areas, and subjects that relate to clean and dirty air.
I had an intuition I would love the majesty of the Pacific Northwest long before I set foot in Oregon, Washington, and now Canada.
I was right.
I'm originally from San Francisco, and have reviewed several Northern California locations, too.
And our state's breath-taking parks, naturally, such as Nature's masterpiece...
I have more Yosemite photos, which I took during an Ansel Adams Winter Wonderland Museum hike. We followed the famed photographer's footsteps, and here's a few of my results. Believe it or not, I actually sold a few of my photos!
I'm a tempered Nature Girl, meaning I'll get out in nature and scream at the sight of bugs. I'm unabashedly open-minded, which means a lot of my clean air travel has been focused on the more liberal Western United States and British Columbia, Canada.
Eventually, I'll go beyond. I hear Denmark and Sweden are clean and building sustainable communities.
Occasionally, I will have guest bloggers reporting on clean air issues in their part of the world.
Such as Sze Li from Singapore who attended a business for the environment conference in Singapore on behalf of Chasing Clean Air, and reported what's happening in Asia to preserve and clean water, air, and create sustainable buildings.
Meanwhile...
The Pacific Northwest has never disappointed me.
Occasionally, I report on a pulp mill or coal mine, and the environmental pollutants that can be toxic to one's health, but I stay away from these toxic sites as soon as I discover them, and provide you relevant information so you can make informed choices.
I'm writing you from Victoria, British Columbia because my best friend owns a home here, and her tenet moved out.
I'd planned to visit British Columbia for some time, and this made it easy to get situated and use her home as my Canada base.
The Pacific Northwest is the jewel of North America, and Victoria just may be her crown princess.
Victoria is the cleanest air city I've experienced in North America thus far.
As a result of my findings, a number of my friends and readers from America's smog-belt have told me they plan to visit British Columbia soon.
I'm getting ready to explore Vancouver, Whistler, Quesnel, Jasper and beyond, so do stay tuned as I report on beauty and lifestyles, and how it feels to breathe the air over yonder.
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