"I am, Therefore I pollute"

I've always thought I "did the right thing" when it came to the environment. After reading Fish's article, I realized I was barely doing anything at all. I recycle as often as I can, turn off the lights when I leave a room (but that's also out of habit), and recently I started buying the "Go Green!" products at the grocery store. However, I doubt I would stop buying paper towels, and I know I would never halt redecorating my kitchen because the wood I would be using would require extra storage and transport.
The difference between Stanley Fish and I when it comes to the environment poses a question of the degree in which people use resources and life their life in an environmentally friendly way. I don't believe there is a set book of rules and regulations that states if one is living in an environmentally friendly way. To live in an "environmentally friendly" way in the US could be a range of things. You could buy a Hybrid, recycle, become a vegetarian, use a Brita filter instead of buying water bottles every week, etc. It just depends on the degree in which individuals in the US change their lives according to these "environmental standards." I'm sure there are some people who do all the above, and some who do nothing at all to protect the environment. Some individuals (to me this only pertains to celebrities) wake up and buy a Hummer every other month; some may not recycle and just throw everything into the waste. And then there are some people in the middle, like me. I try to do what I can, but there are some things in which I choose not to do. For example, I drive an SUV, but I also recycle everything I can, have a Brita filter, and save as much energy and water as possible.
In the past few years, people have become conditioned to do simple things for the environment such as recycle, but as stated above, some people simply don't. To me, living in an environmentally friendly way in the US means not buying a Hummer every other month, recycling as much as you can (even though it just slows down the waste process), and being cautious in general in terms of energy and water. People in the US have high standards, and even though people are becoming more aware of the global environmental crisis, many decide not to alter their lifestyles. It would be impossible for everyone in the US to completely alter their life to an environmentally friendly way. However, I do think to live an environmentally friendly lifestyle in the US people simply need to make small alterations in their life to do their part...i.e recycle, refrain from buying plastic bottles, buy a Hybrid, use less water and energy, etc. If one decides to do all the above, then great, however if some people choose to do a few out of all these options, I still think they are putting forth an effort to live an environmentally friendly way.