how many planets?

Most everyone I know is exhausted by years of carbon footprint debate and guilt. Personally, I think it's far more effective to think about big scary concepts in real, tangible forms anyway. Which is why I love this quiz from the Center for Sustainable Economy.

After a few questions about lifestyle and it tells you how many planet Earths it would take to support the human race indefinitely if everyone lived like you. It's sort of staggering (in a motivating, effective way) when you realize that your sincere efforts to remember your reusable grocery bags and take shorter showers are nowhere near saving the planet. I scored 4.7 Earths. My commute did me in, as did living on a large chunk of land out in rural nowhere. I guess our idea of a nature preserve would be more effective if we did some subsistence farming as well. The more you know...

New Year, New Breakfast

I would have killed for an almond croissant when I woke up this morning. Or a biscuit, egg, and sausage breakfast sandwich. Or mac and cheese.

But New Year's resolutions and all. Instead I tried a bowl of Old Wessex Ltd. 5 Grain Cereal, a mix of oats, rye, triticale, barley, and golden flax. The nutrition stats are impressive - 2.5 grams of healthy fat, 6 grams of dietary fiber, and 6 grams of protein all for 160 calories. Although it looked great in the store, this morning it fell a little flat next to my cravings for grease and refined carbs, so I added a small handful of dried cranberries and a splash of almond milk. The nutty flavor and coarse texture of the mixed grains is a great improvement on bland, mushy oatmeal; sweetness and creaminess from the cranberries and almond milk satiated my craving for a pastry. And unlike after eating cold cereal or a big hot breakfast, I don't feel like crawling back into bed. So far so good.

The items featured in this post were purchased by the author.

Resolutions

Stop eating crap. End the artificial sweetener addiction; eat fruit instead. Pick the vegetarian option at restaurants. Build an arsenal of recipes for baked goods that use whole grains, or at least wheat flour. Delete RSS feeds to candy and cupcake blogs.

Stop buying crap. Embrace the thrift store. Master making new stuff from old. Look for sustainable, fair-trade, family-farm, all-natural, unprocessed options.

Stop feeling like crap. Do something about the stress, already. Get off the internet, read a book. Figure out how to meditate. Light scented candles, do yoga, take a bath, get some fresh air and sunlight.

Cheers to the start of a beautiful decade.