Going green has its appeal, but there are some things that I refuse to give up.  There has been a time when my family has gone without running water or an electric oven or air conditioning.  It was never all at the same time, and it was never for more than a couple of weeks.  It was also something I would never CHOOSE to do.

Over the last few months I’ve been reading about “carbon offsetting” that is suppose to mitigate my greenhouse gas emissions.  Al Gore is the best example of this new fad.  He has been praised and condemned for choosing to have his luxurious estate in Tennessee, but to pay for carbon offsetting to justify his own indulgences. 

Carbon offsetting companies charge “environment conscious” individuals a fee to allow them to go on with their lifestyle without having to worry about the effect that lifestyle is having.  These companies are best known for the tree planting they do on behalf of their clients.  My only question is, “Are you kidding me?”  If someone is serious about cutting the effect they have on the environment, does it really count to pay someone else to plant a few trees?

I’m teaching my kids to be good stewards over the land.  We live in the woods and we protect and maintain the trees that we have.  We turn off the lights when we don’t need them, and we turn the air conditioning up when we aren’t home.  If we ever feel that we are causing too much carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases in the world, then we will just eat fewer beans and plant a couple of trees ourselves.