– Or according to footprint calculator 3.8 planet earths.

My reaction: I found myself close to tears.

Why? I felt bullied by their shock and awe campaign. Angry because I couldn’t live up to their expectations. Trapped because by telling the truth they assumed things that weren’t true.They assumed. They failed to treat me as an individual. They hurt my pride at being ecologically sound.

3.8 planet earths to support my life? – My shields go on high. Why do I, bus riding, recycling savvy, energy saving, evergreen student that I am, use so much? – They give suggestions on what I can do – install solar panels on my roof, eat less meat, hang all my clothes out to dry. I want acknowledgment on how good I’m doing not improvements on what I could do better. Praise me!

Pride may come before the fall, but pride is also the greatest motivator not shame. Shame makes us give up. Make people proud of their actions. Then perhaps, but only then.

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One last little rant on a suggestion from the EPA calculator –

“Turn up your household’s air conditioner thermostat by  degrees Fahrenheit in summer.

ENERGY STAR recommends turning up your thermostat by 7 degrees Fahrenheit on summer days and 4 degrees on summer nights. Visit the ENERGY STAR Programmable Thermostats page to learn how to do this automatically.”

– Turning up? Is this a typo? What the hell?