Assess Your EcoFootprint

Have you ever calculated how much land area is required to sustain your lifestyle based on the type of housing you live in, the food you eat, the places you go, the items you recycle, and the goods you buy?  If you'd like to make more eco-friendly choices but are unsure of where to start, this can help identify areas for change.  It's easy to get overwhelmed with "I'M DESTROYING THE PLANET" if you try to make big changes at at once, so pick one area to focus on at a time.

I took three assessments for comparison, and definitely found discrepancies in the generated totals based on the same answers each time.  However, the theme is: my carbon emissions are less than the average American, but still more than the rest of the world.  If everybody lived like me, we would still need about 2.5 to 3 planets to sustain our population.  Ouch.  

The Nature Conservancy's Carbon Footprint Calculator framed their questions not as how much you consume in each category, but what steps have you taken to reduce your footprint?

The Center for Sustainable Economy's Ecological Footprint Quiz has links all the way through with tips on how to reduce consumption, and explanations of things like how sprawl affects climate change.

The Global Footprint Network's Footprint Calculator was my favorite.  Your answers generate a visual display of your personal consumption (you can even personalize your avatar).  It was also the most user-friendly, and you can opt for the quick quiz or more detailed (and thus more accurate) survey.

Did you take the quiz?  What did you find out - any surprises?  Do you plan to make any changes in your life?  As for me, I'm in the market for a bike if you're looking to sell...:)

image courtesy Global Footprint Network

Remembrance and Hope

Today, we remember where we were 10 years ago when we heard that the first tower had been hit, and then the second.  We remember our fellow countrymen of United Airlines Flight 93 - how many lives they saved, we'll never know.  We remember the firefighter who came back from Ground Zero, the catch in his throat as he described what he had seen.  We remember our friend and his family who were harassed in the town they called home just for looking like the men who had committed this travesty.  We remember that our classmates, friends, and family are still serving overseas 10 years later.

We hope for a tomorrow that brings our troops home.  We hope that Americans will continue to make courageous choices - because lives are at stake.  We hope that men, women, and children around the world may live in communities that are safe and thriving.  We hope that Good will prevail.

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

Prepare to be ashamed of your own lack of initiative.  Denied the chance to use her teaching degree following the arrival of the Taliban, forced to remain indoors for fear of arrest at the slightest offense, and faced with a dozen-odd mouths to feed in a crumbling economy, 19-year-old Kamila Sidiqi started a tailoring business in her living room.

The fact that she didn't know how to sew did not phase her.   Kamila enlisted her older sister, Malika, for an afternoon sewing lesson, took the sample to market, and through the covering of a chadri negotiated her first order.  The venture quickly grew from a family affair to an apprenticeship program for neighborhood girls looking to help their families.  In desperate times, Kamila cheerfully and tenaciously took on the responsibility of leading a community without ever showing her face in public.

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana illuminates the stories buried beneath the news we have heard from Afghanistan.  It is our good fortune that author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon doggedly pursued her interest in female entrepreneurs in war-torn countries, and connected with Kamila, her family, and the community that supported the Dressmaker.  I highly recommend you check out this engaging read for yourself - and use Kamila's contagious innovation to jump-start your own idea for serving your community!