Wake Up Time

August. The crape myrtles are blooming, the cicadas are singing, the roads are bumper to bumper with people from D.C. and Pennsylvania at the beach for vacation's last gasp. August, a month I always find difficult. I'm tired of summer and heat, longing for a breath of cool autumn air, the chance to get into the Cape Henlopen beach parking lot, eat at my favorite restaurants without a ninety minute wait, buy my groceries without fighting hordes of people in bathing suit coverups.

We'll be involved with our own vacationing familial company over the next week and a half, so my blogging may be sparse. With Congress on recess there won't be legislation to talk about, although I haven't even begun on the Highway Bill. Or ended with the CDC Report. Right now, though, in the lazy spirit of August, I have a pair of environmental quizzes for your delectation, one in this post and one for a later posting.

The first one is the Ecological Footprint Quiz:

Ever wondered how much "nature" your lifestyle requires? You're about to find out. This Ecological Footprint Quiz estimates how much productive land and water you need to support what you use and what you discard. After answering 15 easy questions you'll be able to compare your Ecological Footprint to what other people use and to what is available on this planet.

CAUTION: THIS QUIZ MAY SURPRISE YOU, SHOCK YOU, OR MAKE YOU THINK. PLEASE REMAIN CALM...BUT NOT TOO CALM!!

They are absolutely right - my results did surprise and shock me, both. And indeed I am thinking. My ecological footprint is precisely the same as the average one in this country: 24 acres per person. Worldwide, there exist 4.5 biologically productive acres per person. It was "shelter" that did me in, as we are two people living in a big old rambling farmhouse on almost an acre of land. I scored well on "mobility" and "food" but not so well on "goods/services." If everyone on the planet lived as I am living we would need 5.4 planets to support them all. Really, I am not just surprised and shocked, I am horrified. We are already planning some major changes, and I see we have a lot of things to ponder.

I've shared my shameful results with you, please leave your results in the comments section - I'm hoping that most people's footprints will be less embarrassing. (We bought this house for a reason, though - the very reason that will start arriving Weds evening: kids, grandkids, sisters, nieces, nephews, friends. Every summer, and sometimes for the holidays in between, the house is filled with people. When you live this close to the beach, they come.)

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