I may or may not be the vegan mentioned in Wednesday's column, "Being eco-friendly isn't always easy." Regardless, I think to view the carbon footprint exercise as a demonstration of the futility of lifestyle choices is way off the mark.
I found my own calculation staggering. Even if everyone were vegan and didn't drive, we'd still need two Earths to sustain us. This only clarified that America's problem is a systemic one - one that will not be solved by clotheslines alone.
There is certainly a trade-off between making time to prepare homemade, locally-produced meals or using those hours to make money at work. There is a trade-off between biking to school and getting a few extra minutes of sleep.
But are Americans better off when they choose to work more and exercise less? For me, at least, the answer is no.
If personal change can lower the number of theoretical "Earths" we need to survive from the average American's 5.3 to 2, perhaps a shift away from our current obsession with consumption would allow us to maintain a lifestyle that could be replicated worldwide and leave us with the one planet we've got still intact.
To say that it is preferable to buy new clothes every day, rather than set aside a single Sunday afternoon to erect a simple clothesline and clip one's clothes onto it, reveals just how devoted to this ailing nation's principles many people remain.
Lindsey Mills is a UF student.
