How exactly do we live lightly on the Earth?

Sometimes, things get a bit confusing.

I have a new (used) house. With a backyard full of St. Augustine grass, decorative pear trees, hybrid tea roses, and some wax-leaf ligustrum.
As an environmentally-concious gardener and mother, I can’t let this go on.
I know I’ll garden organically, but what will I garden?

Do I plant all natives? Is this the most eco-friendly option?
Do I garden for wildlife? Is this the most eco-friendly option?
Do I try to grow my own food? Is this the most eco-friendly option?

Buying your food locally is more environmentally responsible than eating imports because it uses less petroleum product and creates less shipping pollution between the farm and your table. (for more info on this, start at http://www.100milediet.org/ and http://www.eatlocalchallenge.com/)
Your backyard is about as local as you can get, and I’m a gardener with a fair-sized suburban backyard.
There’s the “food not lawns” movement… and book.

But what about native plants? (start here: North Amereican Native Plant Society)
Shouldn’t we be concerned that our native plants are being choked out by invasives, to the detriment of the eco-system and local wildlife?
But, of course, wildlife can also be nourished on non-natives…
Are we worried about the flora or the fauna? cute little native wildlife, anyone? can we garden for them? (start here: Creating a Certified Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard at the National Wildlife Federation)

If I plant butterfly plants around a fig tree will this count as a gardening “offset”?
A native plant activist would point out that the fig is horribly invasive, and ask if the butterfly plants were native.
A “grass to food” activist would ask if the butterfly plants were edible.
A wildlife gardener might cut me some slack,
but a local food activist might ask if the plants were bought within 100 miles…

How about planting natives that provide food for us and the wildlife?
Let’s face it: if it’s man vs. squirrel, the squirrel always wins.

So where does that leave me?
I’m unsure, but I need to decide soon, since it’s gardening time here in Texas.
I’ll probably compromise.
And while that may not feed my children as well, maybe we’ll all learn somethinmg anyway.

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