Faux Deprivation

I gotta say, I'm really floored by the level of sacrifice exhibited here. No new clothes for a year! Wow. But as far as such eco-gimmicks go, it doesn't begin to approach this one. Seriously, I would have been more impressed if the Guardian writer had become a Freegan for a month, or swore off jet travel for 2010. Instead, he takes the no retail therapy pledge for metrosexuals and thinks he's helping save the world. Gimme a break. Talk to me after you donate half your wardrobe to someone in need or volunteer at a soup kitchen once a week for a year. On a less cheeky note, the new California governor seems to have his head in the right place, though anyone who knows anything about New Urbanist dwellings knows they are mostly trendy, expensive digs for the well-to-do set. That said, when I see Thomas Friedman give up his kings castle for something a little more scaled back that is at least consistent with his green gospel, we'll know a real trend of self-sacrifice is in the making.