Mother, I'm sorry...

• That I bought the organic yogurt that was packaged in a plastic container which was made with oil byproducts. The production of the packaging feeds the oil industry, which damages the environment - but it's so hard to find products packaged in gourds or banana leaves these days.
• That I built my house with a concrete foundation - adding to the carbon-dioxide level in the atmosphere through the production of the concrete base materials which were pulled out of the big scar on the mountainside - but the construction bylaws would accept nothing less.
• That I used more electricity than normal to cool my house during the hot summer months with electricity produced by the power company who dammed the river with a concrete dam which flooded the valley and altered the habitat of the life in the area - but I cannot afford enough solar panels to produce the electricity to run my AC. At least they're not burning coal right?

In all the history of man there's not one person that could claim to have existed without creating some environmental stress or impact. Man has to accept that if we exist there will be a relationship between us and the environment and we are undoubtedly always the takers.

In relationships among ourselves we recognize that one sided, take, take, take relationships eventually break down and fail. We need to recognize the same keys to a healthy relationship in our interactions with the environment or it too will break down and fail.

Education about the effects of man's interaction with the environment so that he knows how to reduce his impact is a good start. Taking action and changing habits is the harder but the much more important step.

It's difficult to one day just all out go green, it'll be easier and you'll be more successful if you focus on one thing at a time. Concentrate on reducing your waste stream by composting and recycling the yogurt container made out of HDPE - a comparatively easily recyclable plastic. Learn what you're paying for on your electrical bill and what's consuming the electricity you're paying for and then focus on reducing it by turning lights off when you leave a room or cleaning the condensation coils on the back of the fridge.

We may not be able to completely stop impacting the environment but we can at least lighten the load and try to tip the scales a little more in favor of mother nature.