Before I get to the tip for today, I've got to rant a bit.

Today's New York Times says Hopes Dim for Measures to Conserve Energy, and tells a story of politics as usual in Congress.

The prospect of a comprehensive energy package’s emerging from Congress this fall is rapidly receding, held up by technical hurdles and policy disputes between the House and the Senate and within the parties.

Don't these folks know that time is an issue here?

Are our elected officials (national) really going to leave it up to state/local governments and the people to lead on energy conservation measures?

If so, at least the people are engaged and grass roots efforts, like Step It Up, are making a difference.

There's also a new social networking site called MakeMeSustainable that aims to provide individuals and businesses with the tools necessary to identify and accomplish sustainable goals. As they say:

MakeMeSustainable was created to fill the void between how we feel about our environment and what we do about it. We bring you the tools to take action. Our Carbon and Energy Portfolio Manager enables you to visualize and contextualize your individual impact. MMS' sustainable solutions empower you to act upon your knowledge. We can help you to become a more environmentally conscious and efficient individual or business. MMS empowers you to spread the word and encourage friends, family, and co-workers to join the collective effort.

I just spent some time joining MakeMeSustainable, entering data into the Carbon and Energy Portfolio Manager, and browsing the social aspects of the site. Like all carbon calculators I've used, I could take exception with some of the assumptions/approximations MakeMeSustainable makes, but, all in all, I thought the information provided was both informative and useful.

Being a newby at social networking, I'm hesitant to invite friends to join the network via MakeMeSustainable. Instead, I'll hope this post gets some folks to look around.

Be sure to let me know if you like what you find and want to form a group.

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