I could easily rant about the story in today's Jackson Hole News & Guide that profiles a local family's passion for off-road racing, but that would be pointless. No amount of preaching from me is going to change their values, or have any effect on what they choose to do. In fact, any preaching from me would likely have just the opposite effect, further exacerbating the divide between us greens and the not-so-greens.

So why do I even bring this up? Because those of us "in the choir" often chide each other about our supposed shortcomings. From my friend Len's spot-on observations about the frivolity of my pursuit of neighboring states' time trial championships, to Janisse Ray's query in the most recent issue of Orion Magazine titled Alter Call For True Believers, we greens often judge and/or criticize each other for "not walking the talk."

To be sure, Len's comments hit home, and Ms. Ray's piece caused me to look a little more critically at the gap between what I say I aspire to and what I do. But I refuse to beat myself up for not yet having purchased a Prius; I'll buy a more fuel efficient vehicle when they make one that truly meets the needs of a bike hauling one car family, in the meantime, I'll buy carbon offsets and try to curb the amount of driving I do.

I'll also try to bring folks like the off-road racing Parkers into the fold–one light bulb at a time.

After all, doesn't the math tell you that getting a higher percentage of folks involved in reducing their carbon footprint has a greater potential for actually solving the problem than just getting folks in the choir to reduce a higher percentage of their carbon footprint?

Methinks we ought to stop beating each other up and look outward from our cozy little circle to see who else we might engage in the fight against global warming.

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