"When fate hands us lemons, let’s try to make lemonade" – Dale Carnegie

"Backyard Matters" by Scenic Hudson President Ned Sullivan is a regular monthly feature on TheDailyGreen.com.

The concurrent housing, financial and energy crises not only create a vital imperative -- to divorce ourselves from attitudes and lifestyles that are largely responsible for the hardships so many now face -- but present an extraordinary opportunity to ensure a sustainable future for all Americans while revitalizing the economy. The way to achieve this is by train, bus and ferry.

I love Annie Leonard's video "The Story of Stuff." It's a riveting and disturbing description of the production of stuff and its effect on our planet. One of the more alarming points is how so much of what we buy is designed not to last. Instead, it's intentionally constructed to fall apart or break down, inevitably forcing us go out and buy again and again and again. As you can imagine, this cycle has severe negative effects on our environment.