Green Daily

Are you a "carborexic"? According to Dr. Jack Hirschowitz, in a recent NY Times article, while there is no recognized disorder of "carborexia," becoming overly concerned with living a green life to the point it becomes a compulsion could indicate a problem. According to Dr. Hirschowitz, the main factor in determining whether you have a disorder, is whether the concerns with shrinking your carbon footprint are getting in the way of your life, your work, your relationships.

Take Sharon Astkyk, a mother committed to shrinking her family's carbon footprint to 10% of the average American's. Astyk has cut out baseball for her six-year-old son, as they haven't been able to find a league that doesn't involve a long drive. The Astyk-Woods family grow virtually all of their own food, raise animals and spend only $1,000 a year on consumer goods. She has unplugged the frig. Astyk keeps the home at an average indoor temperature of 52 degrees in the winter, causing her sons to have to huddle together at night to keep warm, all in the name of green. Yikes.

Other interviewees gave up girlfriends for driving trucks and have been using the same Ziploc bag for a year for their toddler's preschool snacks.