Asking the Tough Questions

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I'm not sure if we've talked about my job before, but I am a nanny for a single family in the Boulder area. The only reason I think it's important to say that is stereotypically Boulder residents are very earth-conscious and (for lack of a better term) hippy skippy. What I have found with my employers is that they are both environmentally conscious, but also very non-hippy skippy. Since starting with them in October, my feelings on my involvement of preserving the environment have changed dramatically through observing how they live. They are all organic, prefer to purchase produce that was grown in the U.S., and compost like it's going out of style.

Since working for them I have started to wonder: when (if at all) is it unfeasible to be conscious about the environment. I ask simply because I don't understand. I completely understand the reasons to use cloth diapers or buy domestic produce. What I don't understand is when does need for survival become more important? My mind immediately goes to parents that elect to not have their babies vaccinated. This is something that I would never consider, but to somebody that is interested in a natural lifestyle, it is the option. Does a child's health (or even my own) determine if I choose to continue my natural lifestyle?

As I prepare to move to Wyoming, my bosses continue to influence my thoughts on food and eating when I move there. Preferably, my bosses would like to eat food only grown locally in Colorado. This limits their diet dramatically depending on the season, and completely limits exotic fruits almost permantely. When I think about my move, the realization that I will not be able to have any local fruits or veggies is a very real possibility. This means that my home dictates my lifestyle. At what point does natural, organic, environmentally conscious living take a backseat to actual life?

As I mentioned, I don't know the answer to this question and I'm interested to hear people's opinions. I just feel that there are extremists on both sides of the argument, and I guess I'm trying to find out if there is a middle ground.