That is so great!
A cafe I worked in had the corn plastic to-go containers, until the owner found out they used GMO corn. They switched to a #1 plastic (our town accepts 1&2 for recycling) and mostly paper. They also sell this great thing called a tiffin (it's an Indian version of tupperware), which you can bring back to get your food in. Too bad you can't walk in anyplace and hand them a box to put your food in, Health dept and what not.........

So Jake, you have a solar computer made of wood?

We also have to be realistsic Jake. Going backward to a more primitive life ain't gonna happen unless there's a catastrophe and there's no other choice. I am conscious that it would be impossible in this society, to be totally green. I think a lot of people are. If I could get bulk foods and bring my own container, I would but that's no available here and I haven't the room or consumption level to support that choice. That's just one example.

Things happen gradually, and the changes that are happening could be a great in the long run. The sweeping statemtns about people's hypocrisy are typical of extremists and ignore that there are responsible and sustainable ways to keep these practices in place, for the most part. To think quick, radical change like that is possible is to ignore history and human nature and it's awfully cynical.

If everyone at least believed and made an effort, that alone would make a massive difference. Naysaying accomplishes what?

Harmen...whatever tribe you think you are in...you made several valid points...and I agree with you that change needs to start where you live.

I still own a car but am very conscious about not driving unless I absolutely have to. And I have already decided that when it dies, that's it...I won't own another one. In fact, I'm getting ready to change jobs, taking a major cut in pay so that I can start working where I live.
I live on a sailboat and believe that it is the least damaging of any method of travel. Plus I truly believe that my lifestyle has made me so much more attuned to the damage we are doing to the earth.

That's why I get so frustrated with where I am now not being more environmentally conscious especially since it's such an eco-sensitive area.

I agree that the naysaying and negativity will not help us move forward. Every being on this planet consumes something. You cannot live without putting food and water from the earth through your body. However, the American ideal of 'we live to consume' is very deadly to the planet and is why we suck up vast amounts of resources. Have you seen Annie Leonards' Story of Stuff video? www.storyofstuff.com. She explains how we got to this whole mindset and ways we can get out of it.

I am always looking for ways to reduce my footprint. Meat has become more and more seldom in my diet, I'm trying to pack my own bags to the store, recycle everything I can (and reusing ziplocs and plastic containers in the home until they are unusable), and I am looking into getting my own kitchen size EM bokashi composting unit. I tried home composting before in my apartment and did not have the right setup and ended up with a swarm of fruit flies over a grey mold layer in the composting unit.... Ick! Every little bit counts, I think. Every time we go to the store and buy bulk and reuse the bags and go to the farmer's market counts. If you've got 10 pcs of packaging for your produce each visit, that adds up pretty quickly. And, by avoiding the stuff that is heavily processed and manufactured we are cutting out a huge amount of industrial waste to get the stuff to us. That adds up even faster. One estimate published in 'Garbage Land' pegs that for each pound of stuff on store shelves there was 320 pounds of industrial waste behind it. Now, recycling and buying used and freecyling takes a whole new meaning! Also check out the list of zero waste companies I found.... www.grrn.org/zerowaste/a...nies_zw.html