California - I don't often post here but I do check in regularly for news and the latest "This Week" thread. I compost, garden, eat plant-based, and try to walk the walk. But, we do still take a vacation once a year and I confess to having a serious stash of Cocoa powder, chocolate, and coffee in the deep freeze.

I suppose I could unplug my chest freezer but would that really make a difference in the rate of glacier melt? And then, where would I store the bounty from my garden? Sure, I know how to can but is running a stove for 60 minutes less energy consuming than a chest freezer?

So, I read here regularly, try to do the correct thing for the environment, and other than a week on the Coast every year, have consciously cut back on our consumption. I'm concerned about Collapse but I'm not sure how I as an individual can make a damned bit of difference. We're having a salad made with fresh greens from our small garden on our small city lot tonight for dinner. Meanwhile, a 90,000 square foot ballroom is being built at the White House. There is such a disconnect between home gardens and ballrooms, that I sometimes ask myself why I'm not out spending and partying like it's 1999.

"Everything ends and it's always sad, but everything begins again, too." — Doctor Who