Environmentally friendly?

For environmentalists, living in an environmentally friendly way may mean to live in such a way that does not exceed the earth's ability to erase your ecological footprint. A person who lives in an environmentally friendly way would not over use the earth's resources or pollute more than what the earth could naturally cleanse. Perhaps some people may live like this, but the majority of humans do not. Those who believe they are, do not understand all of the processes that go in to making their goods. Although they may be recycling and do not consume much, what they do consume was made by people or machines that do use resources in excess. Those who only have one child, so as to stave off the population boom, may coo at a baby reception, encouraging the pregnant mother to have more children. Even those in the poorest countries, who only consume and waste to survive, do not live in an environmentally friendly way, even though they hardly live at all. The "environmentally friendly way" is impossible for any human to follow exactly, no matter how well intentioned they are.
So, in my opinion, to live in an environmentally friendly way involves stepping outside of one's comfort zone and at least trying. One should educate themselves, as much as one reasonably can, and make a conscience effort to be more environmentally friendly. One cannot be expected to have the time to calculate their exact ecological footprint, which involves calculating every process and resource that has ever gone into anything that person has ever consumed. However, one should take the time to educate themselves on the policies of politicians who can pull people together to calculate such processes and limit or reduce them, and then vote based on these concerns. One should hold their politicians as much accountable for environmental issues as they do for issues of security, as they are one in the same. One may not be able to walk everywhere they go, but they can make an effort to carpool or take a train when they have the extra time. Recycling everything in the proper way or ensuring that it is disposed of in the proper way may be limited, but one can pick up liter off the streets or encourage their children to recycle in the ways available. In my opinion, living in an environmentally friendly way would involve taking those small but vital extra steps.
Honestly, I do not live by my own definition of being environmentally friendly. I do pick up liter whenever I see it and I do recycle. Where I am from, it is not practical to walk anywhere, and the buses are unsafe. I also travel by plane frequently, but I would not even know how to get a ticket for a voyage across the ocean to London. I, however, teach younger children or friends to not liter and not to waste. I live as environmentally friendly as I can with the abilities I have, but I could always make more of an effort.