Eco-Guilt

I left the house on Friday morning to get a cup of coffee at a great local place called Metropolis, and I did not take my stainless steel coffee mug.  I was so mad at myself.  Any time I forget my mug, get my leftovers in a styrofoam container, forget my canvas bags when I go to the grocery store, I feel guilty.  Really guilty, as in single-handedly feeling responsible for the demise of the planet guilty.  I can't help it.  

Even now, as I look around my living room, I see a lot of things that are unnecessary.  We are such a materialistic society, and even though people are now beginning to feel the effects of over-consumption, we still consume A LOT.  We use a disproportionate amount of resources in this country.  We take our lives for granted, but there is a reckoning that awaits us.  And it is going to be much sooner than people like to think.  Water shortages and food shortages and severe weather and ever-increasingly energy-intensive endeavors to extract resources are all a reality today.  

I should feel eco-guilt.  More people should feel it.  If we aren't going to do the right thing because we should maybe we WILL do it if we feel guilty enough.