Green as a Thistle

People shouldn't feel as though they have to choose between living out the rest of their days in a hippie commune in the middle of a hemp crop with a composting toilet and living in a stylish urban condo with his and hers sinks. There's a big grey area in the green sphere, and so the most sensible thing to do is to simply be aware of what you eat, drink, wear, use and do on a regular basis, then decide what can be reduced and what can't, without obsessing over it. So go on a shopping spree, but maybe walk there and bring a tote bag; indulge in an ice cream sundae, but make it an organic one with fair-trade chocolate sauce -- and save a bite for me.

From National Post, by Vanessa Farquharson. She also has a blog.

If only more environmentalists could accept that notion. We each of us must decide the things that we can do while still living the lives that we want to have. Be it having a 5000 square foot house or an underground house off the grid. We need those environmentalists to be out their championing, but those of us who don't do everything perfectly are doing what we can.