I think all one can really do is minimize their footprint, for want of a better term. Try to ensure that your money goes to people whose efforts you agree with, consume with a mind towards the effects your purchase will have a couple steps removed. That and talk about issues, spread the word around, build social networks where people who've made the same decision can work together.

That said, I'm *really* glad I'm married to someone who's just as much of a lefty crank as I am! (*^_^*)

So what if someone wanted to go to one of these things more to observe rather then participate. Would that be weird?

I agree with a lot of what you say here. I am not down on fossil fuels on a sky is falling (or burning) environmental plank. But I worry about them because I think that our overdependence on them perverts our foreign policy to no end. Even if we were to drill in Alaska (which I am for) and where ever and obtain all of our oil from the US the price of our oil would still be tied to the general commodity price of oil around the world. Basically the Middle East would still be able to jerk us around.
My solution to a whole lot of problems here is MORE CAPITALISM. When you and I drive our cars in this county we do not pay the full cost of that transportation. If you paid your proportional share of the cost of building the roads, either via a large gas tax or efficiently metered tolls, the cost of said driving would go up. If gas were priced correctly, taking into account the cost of various amounts of foreign aid, wars and unpaid loans, the cost of driving would go up. You would be more inclined to either car pool or take mass transit. When those possibilities do not exist you would be more inclined to drive a more efficient car.
With the increased price of driving a whole new set of issues comes up. First the populous would start demanding better public transportation options. Government would build them. People would want to live closer to their work/school, less sprawl.
With all of this new consumption based taxation the system would be able to better resolve many of the dilemmas we are currently having as a country as to were our values lie. Also government could reduce general income taxes by X, X being what ever it is taking in from these new gas (etc.) taxes

Yes some of this may make me sound like I am a crack pot. But step back and think about it. Does this sound like a poor way of getting to said goals that many of us share? Or is it just one that you may not have heard or considered before?

Alas, I would go, but I'm leaving town to go home to visit my friend who got into that nasty accident about a month ago....think of me when you're peacefully railing against the government :)

i struggle with this kind of stuff too, how even though i am making conscious choices to lead a better life in line more with my values, i still feel like there is a division between conscious living and activism, and that i am straddling that line and not doing enough "activism". i see my teaching as a form of activism, because i talk about race and gender and class politics, and i see my zine-making as activism, but i feel like i should do more.