With the economy in upheaval, Congress reeling, and the environment under continuing assault from Big Oil, Big Coal, and Big Agro, it’s sometimes tempting to question – how much good can living green really do The luxuries of enviro-heedless daily American living surround us on all sides…high-tech petro-based cosmetics…sweatshop-manufactured designer clothing…toxin-emitting furniture, carpets, cabinets… mountaintops being exploded into rubble to keep our lights on and our computers running. Even if you’re committed to a green lifestyle, the relentless din of this consumerist world view can get wearing. In the midst of a hectic day, does it really matter that much to the planet if you drive to the 7-11 to pick up a pack of Clorox wipes instead of cycling to the health food store for white vinegar to use with your reusable cloth towels? But there’s a deeper question here – it’s not a matter of harshly enforcing green discipline. Somewhere over the last sixty years or so, our culture has lost the skills…and joy…and value…of living simply, lightly, in balance with the natural world. I took my 86-year-old father to a local Fair Trade coffeehouse and housewares shop awhile back. He browsed through the reclaimed-wood furniture, clay-based paints, […]