Photo Credit: Flickr/backgroundnow.com
Get ready for another week-long intensive green living experiment - yes, the No Impact Challenge is back! And this time, we won't be in the dead of winter as we navigate the tasks at hand.
If you haven't heard of the No Impact Challenge, this is an abbreviated version of a year-long experiment in extreme green living that Colin Beavan and his family participated in a few years ago. Their quest - to get off the grid completely by eliminating their participation in consumerism, eating local, and aggressive resource conservation. They conducted their experiment in stages: first concentrating on reducing or eliminating the consumption of new products, then eliminating trash, utilizing non-polluting transportation alternatives, making sustainable food choices, and finally energy and water conservation. The result: a huge savings in natural resources, money, increased happiness and potential for community building. I could really learn to love those consequences!
Of course, I would agree that their experiment is very extreme. Much of which I would be hard pressed to commit to for an entire year, let alone a permanent commitment, but a week is very doable. I participated in this experiment in January of this year and did very well at many of the tasks. Okay, some tasks I failed miserably at but at least I gave it a shot. And that is the point - to learn through experience what material things and consumption habits we can do without. This exercise is about discovering what impact our lives have on the environment and finding ways to minimize our impact. And that is what green living is all about.
I hope you consider joining me and the others who are embarking on this mission. Really, it is only a week and you never know - you may find there are things you try during the challenge that you will continue into your everyday life. In the coming weeks I will review the components of the challenge so that we all have great ideas on how to succeed. Check back often for the latest installment. You can also learn more about the Beavan family's experience in movie and book form, both titled "No Impact Man." Or check out their website at www.noimpactproject.org.
Eco Home Consultations provides green living consultation services in the Seattle area, focusing on practical ways to integrate green living into your household. Learn more at www.ecohomeconsults.com or email questions about this blog or other green living issues to Melissa@ecohomeconsults.com.
Comments
Leave a comment