Not Enough

The changes that are easy for us to do have little impact. To make a difference as an individual or a family you need to change your habits and requirements more and it is not easy.

If you are enjoying an average life-style (or better) and exhibit average habits you are polluting more than is sustainable. If you live in North America (and are not living below the poverty line), you are polluting more and wasting more than it is your fair share as a human being living on this planet. Maybe not in all areas, but most certainly overall. It is OK to feel bad about that, but please read on.

All of the ideas labeled "not enough" creates less pollution, however please be aware that the resulting changes are rather small and inconsequentual if that is all you do. The baby-steps may be a start, but they are not a good start. Even though it would make a noticeable difference if everyone in North America (say 300 million people) did "not enough", the global environmental impact of North Americans would continue to be disproportionately large in comparison to the rest of the world and the environment would continue to be damaged beyond what is sustainable. You may have good intentions and it may feel good to believe you are actually doing your share and are helping the environment, but please don`t be lulled into thinking you are living a sustainable life if you are not doing more than this.

The "not enough" advice should be followed AFTER you are already doing what is proposed with the advice labeled "noticeable" and "significant" which both result in much less pollution.