Are You A Fossil-Fuel Addict? Would You Like to Get Clean?

I breathe air containing exhaust & fumes           We breathe clean air

I drink water containing chlorine, fluoride,        We drink spring water at the spring; our garden

  traces of antibiotics, birth control pills, etc.      drinks water from the pond and cistern

I eat food from mono-crop, fossil-fuel agri-      We grow our own food using permaculture

  culture, grown in soil that’s full of artificial      by creating a complete mini-ecology

  fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides                  and living off the real interest

I live in a big tightly insulated house with a      We live in a small passive solar house,

  big computer-controlled furnace/air-                  with solar hot water, and a stove+furnace,

  conditioner, a big hot water heater,                    a cold pantry and a solar food dryer

  a big refrigerator, 3 ovens, a dishwasher,         We have herbs, vegetables, chicken, fish, goats,

  and a big green lawn                                           and an orchard within the windbreak

I have a master bath with a low-flush toilet,     We have two alternating composting privies,

  2 sinks, a shower and a Jacuzzi                         an outdoor shower and a kitchen sink

I have an expensive computer-controlled,         We wash our clothes in a pedal powered washer

  energy-efficient washer and dryer                     (sending graywater to the garden) and dry them

                                                                             on a clothesline

 I have a widescreen plasma TV, a CD unit,      We have a laptop powered by PV panels

  a few other computers and video games            and lots of books and board games

I drive a hybrid SUV and an EV                        We ride regular bicycles, a 3-wheeler for cargo,

  Sometimes I take the bus or the train                or walk, ride our pony cart, or just stay home

I buy my clothes and housewares at the mall    We spin, weave, sew and shop at the thrift store

I work out at the gym to stay in shape             We get plenty of exercise

I have to watch my diet to prevent diabetes     We feel nourished by the food we grow

I feel stressed because I have to work lots        We get plenty of sleep after a day of work and

  of overtime so I can pay all my bills                 play with our family and neighbors

  and send my kids to a good college

I’m worried about the crime rate while              Our village is never empty

  I’m at the office in my cubicle                        

I have to drive a long way for a vacation           We don’t need a vacation—we live in Eden

I’m depressed and afraid of the future               We feel contented and economically secure

But how to make the change? What about relapses? 

Well, start by absorbing the deeper layer that's underneath the lists above. If Einstein was right in saying that a problem can't be solved by the same mentality that created it, then changing our view of the world is a good place to start.

Second, don't give up. Carbon relapses imply that some carbon dioxide that could have been formed and emitted was avoided. Respect the power of No; its discipline sharpens wisdom.