Living Simply - the starting point?

As perhaps you've noticed, I'm wrestling with the ills of western consumerism society, the apparent failures of democracy, the inequity brought about by capitalism, and global climate change brought about by all of the above. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not that I now have at least ten hours a day to think about nothing else. Because of my engineering temperament - the world is a series of problems looking for solutions - I'll either come up with some solutions to these problems or drive myself mad in the process.

When I find other people concerned about the same things, I feel extra hope that humanity will come out of these crises - eventually. I just found another blog that takes on these issues in a personal way.
http://www.yesmagazine.org/blogs/shannon-hayes/live-dangerously-10-easy-steps

and her website http://radicalhomemakers.com/

Shannon's recommendations may be an excellent starting point for anyone feeling powerless to impact the changes we feel must be made. This article in particular rings home for me as I'd found myself in exactly the situation she describes of her audience - living in a neighborhood with covenants against hanging out laundry.