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Close, but not quite. Christopher McDougall wrote a book in 2009 called "Born to Run". He was in pursuit (pun intended) of the answer to one question: Why does my foot hurt? His study of a tribe of the world's greatest distance runners reveals that perhaps we were meant to run barefoot. Or, nearly barefoot.

And so, welcome FiveFingers by Vibram.

These things are surprisingly difficult to find in stock, but Chis lucked out finding a lonely pair at Zombie Runner in Palo Alto.

With all things new, you would think tossing them on your feet and heading out for a 6 mile run would be ideal. Alas, no. These things force you to take smaller steps and move your body weight forward. All the muscles in your feet, legs and hips need reconditioning. And they recommend first wearing them around the house, then run around the block, slowly and gradually increasing your distance.

He has been walking in them around town, and while at first I suggested I would walk on the other side of the street to avoid embarrassment, this is, indeed, California. Here, anything goes!

After Chis tries these out for a while, and my shoes are on their last legs (pun intended), I may just get a pair. At least then I will understand why people look at me funny!

Remember me?

I know, I know, I've been really remiss in posting the daily goings-on of our lives. But there has been a lot of hiking and sailing and exploring to be done. And, as some of you know, I am starting a business! I should say, I have started a business. www.livegreene.com. It is a retail store in Palo Alto that will sell cool fun stuff that just happens to be green. The only hang-up now to opening is US immigration. This is the subject of an op-ed piece that I am working on for the New York Times because you simply would not believe the hoops I have leapt through so far. Being a circus clown or trapeze artist would have been an easier.

But that's another story.

We are just in from a wonderful sail in the Bay, where the winds picked up to 15 knots and we hardly noticed the current. Spectacular. This followed an early morning run through the hood, and a breakfast fit for the fit. Tee hee.

I was having coffee with a friend on Friday and we sat on the wall next to where I had parked my bike. My bike and I have been together for 20 years, and I rescued it from a shop in Toronto that recycles (pun intended) bikes. It was an old courier bike with completely replaced Shimano brakes and gears. I love my bike, and California's temperate climate and gearhead-loving culture has allowed me to get virtually anywhere on my bike.

I was describing some of the products I would carry in the store to my friend. Some of them are made from recycled bicycle parts. I patted my bike and said "Just like my faithful steed here."

I thought nothing of it at the time, until I replayed the conversation to Chis over our hearty breakfast this morning. Somehow, telling the story inspired me to name my bike. Mr. Ed seemed fitting.

And so it is that my old Rocky Mountain Fusion mountain bike, which gets me everywhere I need to go, and soon with be the wheels that get me to work, has been officially and utterly knighted.

Mr. Ed.

"It was primarily a symbolic gesture. Way back in 1979, in the midst of an energy crisis, Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the roof of the White House. They were used to heat water for some White House staffers.

“A generation from now,” said Mr. Carter, “this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people, harnessing the power of the sun to enrich our lives as we move away from our crippling dependence on foreign oil.”

Ronald Reagan had the panels taken down."

Admittedly, it seems to have rained, or threatened to rain, every weekend since we arrived. We just haven't found a weather window for Prana's virigin voyage on the Pacific Ocean.

Until today.

Here are a couple of pictures from our sail today. We are both looking a little sunburned. It can't be wind burn because it barely got above 5 knots of breeze. But, it was so nice to be sailing without the constant pounding from the wakes of power boats (aka stink pots) that seemed to be never-ending in Long Island Sound.

When I was growing up on the Canadian prairies (where, at this time of the year, your eye lashes freeze together), hot water was divine. To soak in a hot bath after being outside all day, shoveling snow, cross-country skiing, and building snow forts, warmed the soul. It turned my pink cheeks rosy red and made me feel so comfortable. When my partner and I moved onto our sailboat and began our circumnavigation of this beautiful world, hot water became a luxury. The hot water tank on our boat held only 5 gallons. It was very hot water, so 5 gallons mixed with cold water went a very long way. Our water was heated in two ways – by running the engine, or by running the generator. Either way, hot water required the consumption of fuel. And because we were often visiting in places where we couldn’t get water, we made our own by desalinating seawater. The generator was needed and fuel was consumed so that we could have water, hot or cold.

By the same token, fuel is consumed to heat the hot water you use in your home, and with some hope, some of that fuel is solar or wind. Becoming personally aware of the impact of the choices we make is the first step in finding a healthy balance between sustainability and creature comforts.

One bad example is our condominium in New York City. Hot water was constantly heated by mixing steam with cold water. To add insult to injury, hot water was constantly pumped through the entire building, so that when we opened the hot water tap, the water was instantly hot. Even at 3am! It struck me as a complete waste of energy to keep the water hot and to keep it circulating! But, we likely used way less water in total because the water was instantly hot, and therefore we weren’t running the water until the hot stuff came up through the building. On balance, I’m guessing that our carbon footprint for hot- and cold-water consumption was bigger than it needed to be.

A significantly better solution is a tankless, on-demand hot water heater. We have one in our new house in California, and I really like it. It heats the water when needed, and we never run out of hot water. No more keeping a tank at 49-degrees celsius (or hotter), all day and all night. And no more running out of water when guests take 20-minute showers! The old tank water heaters consume significantly more energy than the tankless ones. And having used both, I like the tankless ones better.

The downside is that the tankless water heaters are more expensive to buy. But the US Department of Energy estimates energy savings of up to 30%. Actual savings depend on several factors, primarily the efficiency of the new water heater and the amount of hot water a family uses each day. Also, the choice of a tankless water heater that uses electricity instead of natural gas is a much more costly way to heat water. With a larger family, there is less idle time and less standby loss with a conventional water heater if a lot of hot water is used throughout the day. You can estimate how many gallons of hot water you consume by using the Consumer Reports calculators .

If you have a storage tank hot water heater in your home, and it’s getting on in years, consider replacing it with a tankless hot water heater. One pleasant benefit of getting rid of the old tank is that you will have more closet space! The tankless water heaters are very small. Better to research it now than doing it in a panic when your tank stops working or starts to leak.

And if you are considering replacing your washing machine or dishwasher, consider replacing it with a new energy-efficient model that heats its own water – this way you won’t need either the storage tank or tankless water heater.

Whatever your choice is, and it is a choice, bring awareness to the impact your choice has on the environment. Remember, your consumer choices have a big influence on those around you and the way companies behave.