I grew up in rural western Oregon. My fondest memories in life are of my grandmother's property there, on 5 acres, surrounded by rolling fields and wooded hills. I often played or walked alone, with the serenity of the gentle wind and the frogs as my only company.

It's difficult to explain what a quiet connection to nature means to me, and as an adult, I've never been able to replicate that childhood experience. Places like that may still exist, somewhere in Montana or in fairy tales, but not for much longer. Most people will never know what it means to see the stars or hear the crickets.

Nowadays, my house has a busy road behind it (which used to be a greenbelt), spewing constant exhaust & noise. My garden and yard suffer from changing climate patterns that have killed off the pollinating bees and bring continued snow well past April. My community, like the rest of the country, is seeing a dramatic increase in upper respiratory problems. And even Seattle, with its reputation for clean air, now has a perpetual smog that could rival Phoenix. And for what? That's what we call "progress"?

My dream has always