live.ethicalstl.org

I just took this Eco-footprint Quiz: myfootprint.org. I got a depressing score of 4.97 earths necessary to sustain my lifestyle. Ouch. However, I am doing things to lower my impact on the environment. I started a garden with my girlfriend and joined a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group. I use compact fluorescent lights, try not to drive too much, live in a neighborhood where I can walk places, recycle, turn off lights and unplug electronics when not in use. All of these things seem like baby steps to me and apparently they are, since I'm only slightly less guilty than a Hummer owner. I am willing to do a lot more, but I don't really want to drop out of society and join an eco-village. (or do I?) I guess the alternative is to help move the entire society towards more sustainable living, but it doesn't seem possible to make a big enough shift and maintain this culture as we know it. I am skeptical of the possibility that technology will save us from ourselves and that seems like the only push our society has been making towards change. Hybrid SUVs don't change the fact that our infrastructure (physical and ideological) is designed to create waste.