What this blog is ...

Working toward a greener planet.

(Photo by Jack Moreh/FreeRangeStock.com)

I'm on a quest to make some changes in how I shop.

Like many Americans, I've heard people argue for and against the idea that climate change is manmade. I have my own opinion, but I'm no scientist. I can't say for certain. This NASA page, however, seems pretty convincing to me.

Beyond that, though, continuing to invest in pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure seems short-sighted to me. Fossil fuel energy sources are finite, right? Yes, it's true that scientists hypothesize that one day the sun will burn out, but I bet if nothing changes, we will run out of crude way before that happens.

As I pondered why we aren't making more progress toward renewable energy sources, I realized I'm part of the problem. I am a big consumer of fossil fuels. Not only do I drive a gas-guzzling 18-20 mpg vehicle, I also buy products, including this computer I'm typing on, that require at least a little petroleum to manufacture.

A month or so ago, I was listening to NPR and heard a short piece on Tom's of Maine and its quest to produce a deodorant that wasn't made from petroleum. That's the first I knew that petroleum is in my deodorant. So then I did some googling and learned it's in my shampoo, too, and a whole lot of other products in my home.

I've decided I'm going to weed the petroleum out of my home as much as I can. I might not ever go completely fossil fuel-free, but I'd like to try. Perhaps by the time I'm down to giving up my computer, manufacturers will be making them out of something more environmentally friendly.

And that brings us back to the title of this post: What this blog is ... This blog is me chronicling what changes I make to reduce my own dependence on fossil fuels. It won't be easy, and it won't be fast. I don't have the cash to replace everything, and old habits can be tough to break. But I don't want to be part of the problem anymore.