What would the world look like if everyone lived like me? Consumer Consequences is an interactive web game designed to answer that question precisely.

Part of American Public Media's special series, Consumed, which explores whether the modern American lifestyle is sustainable in the long run, Consumer Consequences asks as series of questions about your lifestyle. As you play, it shows you how many "Earths" of natural resources it would take to sustain the 6.6 billion people on this planet if they all lived like you. The graphics that appear onscreen as you play reflect the waste you produce, the infrastructure you require, the energy you consume, and how your lifestyle impinges on forests and other undeveloped land. The program calculates your ecological footprint based on the information your provide, lets you compare your lifestyle with other players, and gives you a chance to modify your choices and reduce your footprint.

How did I fare? Terribly!

Look at that - it would take 4.2 Earths to sustain everyone if they lived my lifestyle. Yikes! For someone who lives in the city, doesn't own a car, walks everywhere for the most part and buys organic food, I certainly leave a big footprint. So what is this city witch to do?

Well, to start I found this article on How to green your life. I also searched for books on the subject and among the many available found these that appealed to me:

Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World

Wake Up and Smell the Planet: The Non-Pompous, Non-Preachy Grist Guide to Greening Your Day

Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying

The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time

And coming this summer: Llewellyn's 2009 Green Living Guide

It looks like I have some reading to do and some changes to make in my lifestyle! Kermit was right - it's not easy being green!

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 8:13 AM