How Environmental Are You? Take the Quiz.

Posted on March 4, 2007
| buzz-it! | Huff it!

As regular visitors know, I try to lighten up a bit on Sundays. I put a lot of energy into talking about remarks made by Ann Coulter yesterday, because I think our language choices are really important, and the language choices of public figures seeking to influence others even more important.

After all the talking about ways to be civil, responsible, inclusive, and any number of shared values, sometimes we just have to DO something. The following may provide a call to action to try just a little harder on the environmental front. Warning; unless you’re very, very good, this quiz may shock you with it’s assessment. Don’t worry needlessly. You may not feel cut out for “going off the grid,” a vegan diet, or cycling everywhere you need to go. Still, we can all do just a little bit more.

Take the Ecological Footprint Quiz.

It’s amazing to me the figures for world-wide or even community-wide energy savings for simple things like changing light bulbs for compact fluorescents. The great news is these are becoming very reasonably priced, but you have to shop for them. My community of Hyattsville, MD has a community wide “compact fluorescent cooperative” run essentially by one man. Through him I can get 60-watt or 75-watt equivalent bulbs for $1.50 or $1.75 ea. That’s about a fourth of the cost at the local grocery store. Also, I have bought multi-packs at Home Depot and Lowes for as little as $1.00 per replacement bulb.

If you want to save the planet with your wallet, consider donating to Earth Day Network or the National Resources Defense Council.

My environmental footprint? 16 acres. Ouch. My modest house seems to be my greatest extravagance. I should share it with more people. Additionally, I could do more to eat local, unprocessed foods, cycle or walk more, and use public transportation or share rides whenever possible.