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Carbon footprint worriers, beware. Focusing too much on reducing your fossil fuel use could mean you have a mental disorder.

At least, that's the concern mentioned by some mental health experts in news articles warning about "carborexia." That's short for carbon or energy anorexia, which is defined by people "obsessing over personal carbon emissions to an unhealthy degree, the way crash dieters watch the bathroom scale," according to a recent New York Times article.

Is this a legitimate disease plaguing the more aggressive energy conservers among us? It's hard to tell from the anecdotes I've read.

An anxiety-disorders specialist told one Australian newspaper that she has seen an increase in patients suffering from climate change-related obsessive compulsive disorders. Examples cited included people frequently measuring their water usage because of worries about elevated temperatures, drought and environmental impact.

Quirkier actions: no-plastic diets and preparing cooking-free meals.

The New York Times article says one man who might be carborexic drives his car on waste vegetable oil and has no heating or air conditioning units in his condo. Where does he live? Maine? Arizona?

No, Culver City, Calif., where the average highs reach 81 degrees and the lows reach 46 degrees.

Yeah, he sounds like the poster child for irrational behavior.

It's possible there are people whose obsessive-compulsive behaviors manifest themselves through energy-related actions.

Now, I'm not a clinical psychiatrist or psychologist, but it seems to me that an example of energy-related OCD behavior would be obsessing over a particular setting on the thermostat or some other type of pointless activity.

People experimenting with lifestyle changes brought about by environmental concerns does not in and of itself signify mental illness.

Sharon Astyk, a New York climate-change writer who was interviewed for one of the articles, issued a rebuttal to the term "carborexic" on her personal blog. She wrote:

"My first inclination was to fire back with the accusation that instead, most Americans may be suffering from a pathology called 'carbulimia' in which they gorge themselves on energy. ..."

Now, let's be honest. Lifestyle changes or temporary experiments, such as tracking your garbage for a year or eating food grown within a certain radius, can be a source of conflict in the home if spouses and relatives don't agree. That's the case with any change or big decision, such as starting a business or moving in an in-law.

The difference here is in what's considered culturally accepted.

We need professionals to help define the parameters of harmful and counterproductive behaviors. But we should weigh all options for tackling our energy concerns and be careful not to unnecessarily stigmatize people whose actions disturb our comfort zones.

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Don't forget. The Greensboro Community Sustainability Council will host a public gathering Thursday to link up groups that are working on local sustainability initiatives.

The meeting will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 607 N. Greene St. in Greensboro.  Contact Kim Yarbray at kyarbray@yahoo.com.

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Environmental Stewardship Greensboro, an interfaith volunteer group promoting environmentally friendly lifestyles, will host a fundraising concert with Walkin' Jim Stoltz at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21.

The concert will take place in the Parish Hall of Holy TrinityEpiscopal Church. Proceeds will benefit the organization's child-related outreach efforts.

Tickets are $10. Purchase them by calling Tom Clary at 292-6283.

Contact Morgan Josey Glover at 373-7078 or morgan.josey@news-record.com. Visit goGreenTriad.com to read more about environmental and energy issues in the region.