GO! Green: an outdoor walking challenge by Bill Clifford
What began in 2004 as a desire on the part of a group of residents to create an extensive series of walking and hiking trails around Seabury, a life care community in Bloomfield, Connecticut, has since blossomed into a full-blown environmental wellness initiative. Events such as birding outings, nature walks and a Nordic Walking program increased activity and awareness of the trails among the residents. All this activity eventually led to “GO! Green: Moving Outdoors Towards 26.2,” a challenge program that encouraged participants to complete a marathon distance of 26.2 miles (42 K) over a six-month period of time with one rule: the mileage had to be outdoors.
With more than 200 participants, the initiative exemplifies the commitment of Seabury’s residents and staff to the environmental dimension of wellness.