Mother Nature is ticked off. Can you blame her?

No one is letting men of the hook, but if you check the lists that tick through the 10 to 12 things that we as individuals can do immediately to reduce our carbon footprint and conserve resources, most are actions most often influenced or controlled by women: Eat less meat, buy more efficient appliances, limit food waste, drive electric or hybrid cars, eliminate bottled water, lower thermostats (in winter), try composting and use long-lasting lightbulbs. What people buy and what people do represent the first line of defense, and in many cases those decisions are made by or strongly influenced by women, says Diane MacEachern, author of “Big Green Purse: Using Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World.” “Women have this incredible purchasing power because women spend over 80 percent of every consumer dollar in the marketplace.”