The Beginning: One small human, one GIANT ecological footprint

"If everyone in the world lived as exactly as I do, how many Earth's would it take to sustain us all?"

Recently suffering from a sense of planetary guilt, I asked myself this question. My whole life I've felt that I've lived a lifestyle that is, at the very least, moderately ecologically conscious. Lately though, after watching the Planet Green channel, and reading the increasing number of magazine, newspaper and internet articles, I've given my lifestyle a heck of a lot more thought than I ever have in the past. Do I truly live sustainably? Am I really, in all honesty, living a lifestyle that benefits not only the environment but myself?

The short answer?

NO.

So I decided to find out exactly how large of a carbon footprint I really have. There are numerous calculators on the internet that help determine exactly how much of an impact your current lifestyle has on the world's resources. The results shocked as much as they shamed me. And also started me thinking on my lifestyles impact on not only the environment, but my own self. Perhaps if I lived a more ecologically conscious lifestyle, it could help the environment and my own health and well being.

So here it is. The Quest. It turns out if everyone lived like me, it would take, on average, 4.5 Earths to sustain us all (like I said, shocking). So I pledge to reduce my carbon footprint (with the unwitting help of my fiance, Tim) by at least one Earth in the next two years. I realize this doesn't seem like much. But I'm talking about a complete lifestyle overhaul here--the way we eat, what we buy, reducing our mass consumption, how we decorate our home, even Greening up our wedding.

So I bid you welcome on observing my journey. It's bound to have more failures than successes. I hope to document the majority of it, including the impact it has on my mood, health, and overall well-being. Maybe I'll fail miserably. Maybe I'll end up living in a tree from the overwhelming guilt of all my consumption. Either way, I'm determined to give it a shot. Wish me luck. Or better yet, change one of your lightbulbs to a compact flourescent in my honor.