No Impact Life

Have you heard of the No Impact Man? He and his family embarked on a one-year adventure to remove all aspects of negative environmental impact they have on the world. Thankfully, they didn't just go cold turkey, but they slowly transitioned out of things over time. This includes eliminating trash, finding fuel-less forms of transportation, eliminating chemical usage (cleaners, cosmetics, etc.), removing electricity in their New York apartment, etc. I read his blog occasionally, and I've just watched the documentary of his project. I appreciate that he says the whole point of the project is not to keep his family from doing things but to find ways for his family to continue their everyday lives with as little environmental impact as possible.

Chris and I do some of these small, everyday things already. We live in an apartment, which lowers the acreage required to house families in a neighborhood. We are participating in our third season of a local CSA (Community Shared Agriculture), which provides local produce, meats, bakery items, pastas, and canned/preserved foods. We've changed out our lightbulbs, Chris walks to work everyday, we recycle every square inch of waste possible, and we try to nudge our thermostat a little higher each summer.

After seeing the NIM documentary, I am now thinking of other small ways I can lower my impact on the environment. I like the idea of a daily electricity fast when it's daylight - there's obviously no need for lamps when there is plenty of light coming in through the windows. I would love to switch all of our food to local meat, cheeses, etc. Unfortunately there is a big of a cost dilemma there, and I'm not sure it's possible. I could turn off my work computer when I'm not working, which seems like such a pain. I'm sure I can wait patiently for the 5 minutes it takes to really get into gear each morning.

The ultimate problem with the issue of lowering our negative environmental impact is that every so often, we reach a point where our good habits become routine. We no longer have to think about whether to recycle something instead of throw it in the trash - it's habit. Because it's a well-trained habit, we don't think about why we're doing it as much as we used to. Comfort becomes a crutch, and that's when we think we're doing everything we can. Not true.

Carpe diem. Take today, think about it, come up with one small thing you can do in addition to what great things you do already. And do it. Make it a habit, talk about it with your friends. This is a recipe for change!