I'm happy you are doing your part -- that you have the space and the wallet -- and happy this option is available.

I always react by thinking about my own life, though, and thinking about the rest of the country. Those of us not living in NY.

And those of us counting pennies. It really, really does matter. I think there are more of us than not.

And then I try to think about expanding your good shopping habits so that more people would be inclined to adopt them.

A significant, even a minor, increase in price for these everyday items will eliminate so many people that the benefit will be severely diluted.

So I think all these ideas should come with a budget. With a realistic idea about how a working Mom can make these wonderful ideas fit.

Maybe you've seen something like this done already? An entire household budget drawn up? Say with different spending abilities? In different cities or towns? Apartment versus 3/2 with pool? Different scenarios.

Say a new household is being started or an existing one is being revamped to be more environmentally aware.

Say the householders want to do the right long-term things.

A house with say the right kind of light bulbs, and recycled paper products, and coffee that's environmentally correct, and electricity that is green-ish, etc., etc. -- have you seen some sort of cost comparison for this set up as opposed to a typical American house? The comparison should include time and transportation/shipping. What else? Recycling?

Nance