When our society was a bit younger than it is today, what consumers purchased, and from whom, was an indication of who they were, what they valued.

You bought your television from Al because his son played on your son’s baseball team down the street and you went to the same church.  You shopped for groceries at Katz’s because they delivered for free to your mother who had trouble getting out and about, and their bakery contributed to your neighborhood school’s bake sales.

Buying and selling was inextricably linked to the communities in which goods were bought and sold, and the quality of the merchandise and salesmanship were a reflection of the expectations and values of the people. 

Climate change. Carbon credits. Biofuels, hydrogen power, and solar energy. The vocabulary  of a new century. There's a lot to learn.

The news is full of disturbing reports about global warming, threatened species, and the gradual realization that the way we live -- particularly in the developed nations -- will have to change if we want to enjoy a clean and sustainable future.

But there's no reason to feel overwhelmed. Every journey begins with a single step. At Lighter Footstep, we've rounded-up the ten easiest ways for you to start moving toward a lighter lifestyle. Some cost nothing at all. Others provide a lot bang for your eco-dollar. In every case, these ideas will save you money, cut energy use, and help balance your household's greenhouse gas budget -- the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere to produce goods or electrical power.

So, why have only 6% of all US households installed even one CF lightbulb?

It can't be the economics. After all, a typical CF bulb saves the user more than $66 over its lifetime. Count the bulbs in your house, multiply by 66...

It can't be the environmental impact. CF bulbs actually reduce the amount of mercury in the environment, because even though there's a tiny amount of mercury vapor in each bulb, the amount of coal production they cut down more than makes up for it. Add to that the hundreds of pounds of greenhouse gases they reduce... (if you had to buy and bring home the gases with each purchase, I think it would make a difference in the relative sales).

And it's not the geopolitical impact either. If we switched all our bulbs, we could stop importing oil altogether. Without giving up one Hummer.

Blue Man Group -- the frenetic, blue-headed performance trio with a marked preference for drums and technology -- have something to say about global warming.

Well, they don't say anything. That's not what Blue Man Group does.  It's more of a rhythmic head-banging thing, with harmonies provided by factory smokestacks and a glacier or two.