I understand these personal profiles are to put your ideas and priorities into public view, and connect with others interested in the same topics. This season — prompted, I'm sure, by my role as urban mother of two — I'm focusing my family on simpler, more sustainable consumption. Paul Hawken that broke the bad news to me in Ecology of Commerce: every living system on the earth is in decline, and the rate of decline is accelerating.

It's obvious we're the only life form whose waste cannot be fully integrated into the living systems we're connected to. Humans are one half of one percent of the total biomass, but our disproportionate effect on nature has led to deep social inequities, wars and refugees, mass extinction, loss of entire ecosystems and cultures… the list goes on. However you calculate it, the effects of population, affluence, technology, and the way humans are organized in political and social systems have had a tremendous effect on the natural world.

But it's clear: the general public is making the connection between the collapse of forests, disappearing mangroves, and dormitories filled with Chinese teenagers working 80-hour weeks with its demand for paper towels, farmed fish, and inexpensive chotckies. Intergenerational equity — not precluding future generations from enjoying wilderness, fresh air, potable water, a planet that isn't "double glazed" — is finally of concern.

Another one of my heroes, Bill McKibben, says hyperindividualism must end: the sense that we each should have a big car and a big house and a big life, that it is an imposition to share with others, must stop. He writes in Deep Economy that the capacity for restraint [and finding great meaning in it] is precisely what separates us from the rest of nature. As a result, (and I know I'm not alone) I'm in the midst of a sober self assessment; an inventory of my family's habits and values. What can this urban family of four do to affect change?

Turns out, a lot. A few resources are linked below — they've been helpful to me, perhaps they'll be helpful to you. Short answer: every decision can be viewed through a green / socially conscious filter. Check out StoryofStuff.com

Food: The Big 6: locally sourced (check out the 100 Mile Diet ), whole ingredients (unprocessed), organically grown, fairly traded, seasonally appropriate, bulk (unpackaged). We're moving toward vegetarian, but any meat and dairy we do purchase is ecogroovy. We've slowed down, meals are family events. Anything not picked up at the Alemany Farmer's Market is from Rainbow Grocery, a short walk from our home. Vices? You bet. Chocolate, coffee — these items are not sourced within 100 miles of my Mission District home to be sure, so fair trade and organic only. Some great Bay Area food resources are: Sustainable Table, Om Organics , 100-Mile Diet (Local eating for global change: NorCal's radius as far north as Ukiah, as far south as Salinas, east as Folsom, and west as, well, the third whale from the right. We're not suffering), Locavores, and Local Foods Wheel . We reference Eat Well Guide, the Seafood Watch Guide, Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture CUESA , and Local Harvest . (For a scary experience, check out True Food Now, and Union of Concerned Scientists' guides to processed foods by category, showing the pervasiveness of genetically engineered ingredients.)

Life Items: We try to repair, swap with friends or community members (San Francisco, CA Freecycle (TM) Network or Craigslist), or purchase second-hand. If we buy new, we're learning to read tags and labels, purchasing only domestically or locally made (to lessen the embodied energy / social justice issues of overseas manufacturing and shipping, as well as bolster the local economy). Look for organic fibers, sustainably harvested woods, fair trade manufacturing, and avoid plastics and overpackaged items.  flock of cleaning supplies is reducing to Bon Ami, baking soda, vinegar, and elbow grease. Home projects rely on Berkeley's Urban Ore, or San Francisco's Caldwell's. Great resources: Center for a New American Dream , CoOp America, and BALLE's Shop Local First program in SF. In terms of energy use, do everything Al says (Gore, that is). See www.climatecrisis.net/. Another priority is educating myself about boycotts (or girlcotts!) against corporate malfeasance. Good to know which companies to avoid.

Transportation: We all know it's best to work close to home. To walk. To ride your bike or take public transportation. If you must drive, (and your MPG is decent) it's best to drive your car less, with more people in it, and drive it into the ground. Don't replace with a new model to make an ecogroovy statement.

Money/Investing: Know where your bank invests, and if disappointed, transfer your account to a socially responsible / community development bank. Also, get a credit card that gives back (Check out SF's new New Resource Bank or ShoreBank Pacific and their Salmon Nation Visa Card)

It's a start. Does any of this resonate with you, oh part time working mothers with passion and conscience? Let me know!

Thanks for reading.

Kelly

Kelly Van Noord