Reaction to Maniates "Going Green?"

I think Michael Manites points out a very important barrier to making real progress towards a more environmentally friendly world: the "glorification of easy." I agree that we really need to realize that shortening our shower time does not even come close to fulfilling what is needed from us.
After reading this article my question would be - what can we do now to help bring about this kind of "fundamental change" Maniates is talking about? He does say to continue to do those little things like shorter showers and recycling. But it is clear that these things are not the ultimate solution.
Maniates believes that our governmental and non-governmental leaders are babying us - not believing that we are up to the challenge of drastically altering our society. He calls for change in their behaviors, urging them to demand more from the American public. Simultaneously, he also states that we should take it upon ourselves to demand more from them - they should be ensuring the security of the American public today as well as the ones to come.