Fifty percent reduction in what?

Good question. I suppose the answer is - a fifty percent reduction in whatever I determine necessary to get my "carbon footprint" down to a level that I can accept as "at least minimally responsible." The framework for what I'm planning here is somewhat like what the 90% Reduction (Riot for Austerity) movement is doing. Ninety percent is the figure given as what the average US citizen would have to reduce to hit the globally sustainable level for consumption. I've had a look at what they are doing and while I agree with it in principal, I just can't do that much at this time.

The main sticking points for me are the fact that I've got two part time jobs and also attend college full time. I also have a family, pets, yardwork, housework, etc, and family that lives out of town. This means that I don't have a lot of the time (or the money required to pay someone else to do the extra work) that would be needed to make that sort of change in my life, since the bottom line on things of this sort usually is that you trade chunks of your personal time for a lowering of your consumption/environmental footprint. For instance, you spend an hour or so each week grinding flour and baking your household's bread from scratch, instead of just throwing a few loaves into the basket next time you are at the store. Sometimes that's possible, sometimes it's not. Frankly, I'd love to be able to walk to school and work every single day - about a mile each way- but some days I just can't do it due to time constraints. Some days I will have to take the car, as much as I loathe the thought of backing it out of the garage for just a one mile trip. Unfortunately, some days I simply won't have the extra 15-20 minutes each way to spare in my schedule.

It's sad that I'm so busy some days that I feel I can't even block out an extra 40 minutes, but that's life at the moment. Setting myself up for failure by pretending these constraints don't exist will just add to my stress levels and I sure don't need that, either. So, for me, a more reasonable figure is somewhere around 33-50% reduction in my consumption and lifestyle. By setting the bar towards the higher number it still gives me something to shoot for that should actually be doable in some areas. I hope to do more in a couple of years when I graduate.

So, Fifty Percent it is for now. Time to start making a roadmap to attain that goal!