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Baltimore, MD – Julia Braun and John Deamond returned home this week after four months on the road. Calling themselves Our Green America, Julia and John have been traveling throughout the U.S. seeking out the people, places, and projects that are making America more sustainable. Tragedy struck last week, however, when Julia shattered her wrist in Fargo, ND, forcing the duo to return home.
After four months of farming, building houses, hiking, and driving, Julia was brought down at a Pride Week event at Skateland in Fargo. A simple misstep and she fell backward, braking her wrist in multiple places. Asked why her mission of sustainability brought her to a Pride event, Julia responded, “We believe that sustainability encompasses all aspects of a culture: physical, spiritual, and intellectual. Maintaining awareness of issues facing a minority group is an important aspect of our project.”
Julia and John have been posting all of their adventures on ourgreenamerica.org through blogs and photo galleries. Their goal is to make sustainability and the “Green” movement accessible to anyone. “We want people to get excited about a road trip, start reading, and then realize how easy it is to live more sustainably,”
Our Green America came about when Julia and John were looking for direction in their lives. They had been living together in Takoma Park and working in the DC area for two years, and were looking for a change. Both felt the urge to have an impact, to be proponents for the change they believed in. Both had grown up in Maryland, Julia in Edgewater and John in Parkville, and attended St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and they wanted to see more of the U.S. Combining their interest in sustainability and desire to remain active, they founded Our Green America, committed to spreading knowledge about sustainability through active projects. The pair had raised over $500 for their cause and received a few in kind donations, but most of this journey is being funded by their savings.
Over the past four months, the duo has worked at a communal farm and seed business, served food to the homeless, helped to build a house made of adobe and tires, and toured countless education centers, architectural projects, reuse centers, community gardens, and more. When Julia broke her wrist in Fargo, they had one month of travel planned before returning home. This injury is only a temporary setback, however. Undaunted, Julia says, “I figure I’ll be healed enough in another month to get back on the road. We need to finish this; it’s become bigger than us.”
After they finish this road trip, the pair plans to settle down in Takoma Park again and apply what they’ve learned on the road. This new adventure in green living will be documented on their website, of course.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
