Day One: Ten Tips For The No Impact Challenge

Photo Credit: Flickr/Rick Harris

I hope we have some people joining us for the No Impact Challenge starting 1/3/2011.  If you are, great!  If not, well you can still benefit from adopting some new ideas to lessen your impact on the earth.  Day One’s goal of the No Impact Challenge is to stop buying new goods for the entire week.  This shouldn’t be too difficult for us since we will likely want to give our finances a break after the holidays. But it will take preparation in order to be successful. 

The key is to have a suitable replacement in mind when you feel like shopping.  Some of us feel like there is always something we need, others view shopping as “retail therapy.”  But remember the goals for the challenge are to save money, have more time to connect with others, and generally be happier while helping the environment.  Try a few of these suggestions to help you find alternatives that cost little or nothing when you have the urge to buy something new: 

Host a formal or informal showing of the documentary, What Would Jesus Buy, a comedic yet serious look at one performance group’s stand against consumerism.  The film is available for instant viewing on Netflix, or if you would like to support the Church of Stop Shopping, you can purchase the DVD on their website.  If you are going to buy though, try to buy it before your week of no buying.  Also, I recommend watching this movie well before you start your holiday shopping, it may change how you proceed.

Visit with a friend either by phone or in person.  Reconnect with those who you don’t get to talk to often.

Exercise.  Take a walk, ride your bike, play a game of soccer with the kids.  Not only will this save money and make you happy, but being active keeps you healthy!

If you like to write, keep a journal of your thoughts on why you feel the urge to shop.  This can help you to identify what triggers you to want to buy something.  It can also help you get through the episode.

Plan a dinner and game night with friends and family.  Have your guests bring a dish and their favorite board or card game to share with the group.  Not only will you have lots of great food, but you will undoubtedly learn something new about your guests when you start discussing everyone’s contributions.

Since this challenge will be taking place after the new year, it is a great time to clear out closets and cupboards of any clutter that you have been meaning to get rid of.  Use the time you would have spent shopping to organize your space and start the year with a clean slate.

If you feel the need to replace something that has broken, is there any way to fix the item yourself?  Do you have a friend that could help you with a repair?  Or, can you live without the item for a while?

Consider making your own cleaning and beauty products.  There are recipes for so many products available online.

Host a swap.  Be it books, clothing, jewelry, or other household items, have your friends and neighbors over to swap stuff you don’t want anymore.  You can come away from one of these events with cool things that are new to you, and free your own space of rarely used items.

You can buy things second hand but remember the goal is to not shop at all, except for groceries.  If you find you must buy something, go on a thrift store treasure hunt.  By shopping second hand, you are not contributing to the consumer cycle and in fact, you are saving items from going to the landfill. 

Whichever you choose, you need to have a plan in place so that when the shopping bug hits, you are ready to fight it off.  With a little planning and commitment, it is possible to cut back on your contribution to consumerism long term.  And certainly possible to cut out shopping for a week!  

Eco Home Consultations provides green living consultation services to households in the Seattle area.  Learn more at www.ecohomeconsults.com or email questions about this blog or other green living issues to Melissa@ecohomeconsults.com.