This whole carbon footprint thing has got me thinking about NEED versus WANT. And I realize that I have absolutely no idea what constitutes appropriate amounts of resources.

Obviously, I can figure out the appropriate amount of mashed potatoes I want on my plate, but when it comes to resources like electricity, water, gas, etc., I get all confusey. If only electricity, water and gas would fit on my plate and I could look at it and make a decision. We're talking portion control.

Take showering for instance: do I NEED 500 gallons of water per shower or do I just WANT 500 gallons and really only NEED 2 tablespoons?

And then what do I do about the WANT part?

Is it okay to WANT, or does NEED always trump WANT?

I need! I want! I need! I want!

I need AND I want!

I walk the line.