SPECIAL: Founding Editor

I figured that with all the new faces slowly making it onto the site it would be good to subject myself to the same questions that they are faced with. So here goes.

My name is Al Tepper and I am in my mid-30s. I was born in London, UK and have lived in London for most of my life. I have also lived in Nova Scotia, Canada for six years and Stirling, Scotland for one year. I now live in Letchworth Garden City and became a dad in November 2005 for the first time to Coby Zephyr. I am married to Sarah, the nicest girl I know and work in online development.

What actually inspired me to be green and start making changes?
Hmmm I think a growing awareness in the 90s that the world was finite and we were living as if it were not. Something seemed awry and I could not shake the feeling we were headed down the wrong path.

What is the one thing I do that I am proud of doing?
Well apart from starting CityHippy and becoming a father to Coby I think I am most proud of following the path I believe to be right. In terms of real actions I think I am most proud of waking myself up from a trance-like state as a consumer. Marketing and advertising are very powerful and seductive...but now when I go shopping I react badly to pressure of any kind and consider what I want to purchase based on what is important to me. Ethical consumerism requires constant vigilance and I guess I am most proud about developing my own vigilance in this area.

What is the one thing I wish I could do?
I wish I could be less lazy, own a small farm, live off the land and totally reconnect.

What is the one thing I wish everyone in the world did differently?
Consumed responsibly. And be nice to each other.

What is my dream job?
Ah....dream time....ok gimme a minute...ok dream job would be to work from home running cityhippy (with editors working from home too all over the country) for slightly more money than I need and thus being able to sustain myself, grow my own food, collect my own water and generate my own power and spend loads of time with my wife and son. Any rich benefactors out there willing to salary me for a year please do get in touch...he he he

What is my favourite way to relax?
Relax..relax...oh yeah...I remember that. I guess sitting on my couch playing with my son is top of the list right now...he is just so damn entertaining...hanging with friends on sunny afternoons etc.

Why is the world a mess and what do I think we can do about it?
How long have you got? In short. People have lost their sense of civic duty and think they only need consider themselves. That is the root of all our troubles I reckon. The solution is to not give your kids anything to do in their rooms other than sleep and read. No tv's, no pc's, no psp's. Encourage them to interact at all times with the family. Bring back family mealtimes. Take your kids to see where your water, food and energy comes from and show them how your waste is processed.

What fun!!! Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing...

Namaste

Al

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