This my first attempt at blogging, but I've always loved writing, and I'm passionate about the subject I'll be talking about. I hope to provide some interesting (and hopefully educational) reading materials to my readers on the subject of green roofing, green infrastructure and the landscape business in general. Let's get the introductions and some background about me/the business out of the way first.....

Working at Snips Landscape as a Green Roof Specialist is the only job I've ever felt like I just belonged in. I walked in and Kristi (office manager), and Ed (owner), met me with big smiles and friendly faces. I could tell within a few minutes of speaking with them that I would fit in very well at Snips. I felt I had finally found a place where I could use my particular skills and learn more about something I truly feel passionate about.

Before I go on, let's go back about a year and talk about how I got to this moment - this (without sounding too cheesy) life-changing job interview.

After high school, I went to university and obtained my degree in Psychology. Now - I fully believe that at the age of 17, there's no way someone can truly know what they want to do with their life. I suppose there are the lucky few with defined goals, but I was not one of those lucky few. I took Psychology because I thought I would excel at it. It turns out that I was right, and although I learned a lot about myself and about learning in general, I never felt that passion about the subject that I was searching for. What did I want to do with my life?

After getting my degree, I worked for about a year with people who had serious brain injuries. This was very rewarding work and I do appreciate the experience, as I really wanted to make a difference in the world, in some small (or large) way. I did feel like I was achieving that, at least in part. It still felt like something was missing.

I did some soul searching and really thought about what got me going. I thought about the hours I'd spend researching climate change, watching nature documentaries, and thinking about how important it is to protect natural habitats. Cities are constantly growing, people are constantly encroaching on animal habitat, and the world is suffering for it. Right from birth, my summers were spent at my family's cottage in Sand Lake. It was only about a 4 hour drive from Niagara, but the difference in air quality was astounding, and it was beautiful. I would always cry when I had to go back home. This must have been where my passion for protecting these natural areas began.