West Seattle's Sustainability Fair -- everything green?

Sunday May 4th, West Seattle had a Sustainability Fair in the Alaska Junction, right across from the Farmer's Market held in the bank parking lot. 

http://www.westseattleherald.com/articles/2008/05/04/news/local_news/news01.text

The booths were "right on" with their campaigns, such as getting an "undriver's license" if you commit to driving less, growing a sustainable garden, or learning how to fix your bike and use it to commute. I was a little miffed that most of the booths were still handing out flyers, brochures, and chunky booklets -- can't we get on an email list and reduce the amount of paper that we use to advertise our businesses and causes? Maybe a booth about going paperless would be helpful next year...

We bought some organic tomatoes from the farmer's market, and planted them in our backygard garden, yummy. In exchange for use of our wireless network, our neighbor is mixing some compost and potting soil for our garden. And another neighbor, who volunteered to mow al the public stripes of grass around the block with his electric mower, let us borrow that mower while on break, so we could give our lawn a better haircut than the push-mower haircut, which tends to leave the edges a bit on the shabby side. 

But when is it enough? I found myself becoming a little miffed when the peeps at the Undriver's License booth didn't think my sacrifices were enough. In 2007, I moved my office from Everett to West Seattle, to end my "commute and pollute" days. I take the bus into town, and drive less than 2 times a week outside a 15 mile radius. I often walk to the store to shop for groceries, and combine errands to reduce my driving time. It felt like nothing short of getting rid of your car was going to be enough. 

The point being: maybe we don't know what enough is, and all of us must do what we can to reduce emissions because of all the damage we've already done. Instead of getting defensive, I can carefully see what more I can responsibly change. 

Do you worry about not doing enough to turn the tide in our fight to save the planet? With the threatened extinction of polar bears drowning because of the lack of available ice (due to global warming), do you fret over everything from biodiesel and world hunger to diminishing bus schedules?  And how do you feel when you see someone zip by in a Hummer limosine, in preparation for a wedding or a prom night?