Going Green

One of the frustrating things about global warming is that it is really hard to know what we, as individuals, can do to lessen our impact carbon-wise. I joined a CSA for the summer, (this one) so I can be sure that the fruit and vegetables I buy every week and inevitably throw away after they rot will come from our area, rather than being shipped all the way from South America.

But other than that, who really knows what to do? I walk to and from work every day, so I feel like I'm doing pretty well on that front, but then I wonder if living in the relatively densely populated area that allows me to do so, and to walk to grocery stores, etc., just makes the impact less visible by shifting the driving to the delivery people, etc., who make things so convenient.

Anyway, to try to give concrete guidance, Slate has reinstituted its Green Challenge. It is a series of weekly quizzes that assess your impact and offer specific ideas for reducing it. It is not problem free. This week's topic was transportation and one of the suggestions it makes is to reduce your driving by 25 miles per week. Considering how little I already drive, that's pretty tough to do. It did remind me, however, to buy a TerraPass to offset the 25,000 or so airplane miles I flew in the first three months of this year. Check it out.