Carbon Footprinting

This weekend we have some big plans. Some neighbors of ours are laying sod (not a resource friendly option in Utah but I have a grass yard that's at least 2 times the size that they are putting down so who am I to talk?) this evening and they need some help. Saturday morning I'll head to my local health department early because they are finally offering H1N1 shots in my area to ladies who are in the family way. Saturday plans also include drying apples we scavenged from my parent's tree, raking and bagging leaves and walnuts from the trees in our yard, using the last of the kale and chard from the garden to can some veggie broth, two quilt squares for a dear friend whose baby is due next week and attending a college football game with my husband. I hope to find time to exercise and would love a couple of hours to nap and recuperate from my normal weeks of working 1.5 jobs (and growing a baby) which leave me exhausted (and with puffy ankles).

This morning, while getting ready to write a blog post I came across this story. About a man who is hoping to sell his autographed picture of Bridget Bardot to pay for surgery he needs ($2500) after the working as a coal miner for his whole life. I was struck with how different my life is than his. Health care is available to me. When I want the H1N1 shot I just have to wait until it's available and it's offered at my local health department clinic, just a 10 minute drive away, for free. My life is busier than I would like it to be but I am so blessed and my life is comparatively easy. It broke my heart to read that the portrait similar to the one this man had is currently selling on ebay for $35.

Earlier this week I got sucked into taking an internet quiz about my lifestyle. I should probably admit now that I love internet quizzes and if we are connected on twitter and you post one I will pretty much take it. The purpose of the quiz this week was to find out how many earths it would take to support the whole world's population if everyone lived the way I do. The answer is 4.5. And I think that's low. The quiz wasn't super comprehensive and I'm pretty sure that the only reason I wasn't on the "above average" side of the US is because we have a tenant in our mother-in-law apartment so we were technically "sharing" the use of all of our utilities. I am embarrassed to admit that I live in a state where state and local leaders refuse to admit that climate change is, even partially, due to human behavior. This morning, driving to work, on NPR they were talking about a group of local Doctors and Scientists who met last night to affirm that there really is no doubt that science indicates that global climate change has been affected by human behavior.

It's scary to think that earth can't sustain an entire population living the way I do but I do believe that there are more than enough resources to ensure that there is medical care for everyone, that clean potable water is available to all families, that children can be provided with an education, that mothers can get adequate prenatal care, that businesses can grow no matter in what country they are located. I, for one, because I do believe that climate change is affected by humans and that my carbon footprint is directly affecting women who now have to walk farther and farther to get water because their rivers and wells are drying up am willing to make some sacrifices to level the playing field. I can start with these…maybe not all of them, but some of them at least. We're talking baby steps here (thank you public radio for being a source of knowledge on all kinds of things).