I have heard only positive things about the documentary No Impact Man, so when I noticed it was playing on HBO a few weeks ago I instinctively hit record, and the other night I finally sat down to watch it. To say I am inspired is probably an understatement.
For those of you who haven’t seen it, the documentary begins with an adorable family of 3 – consisting of the No Impact Man himself, Colin Beaven; his witty and sarcastic wife Michelle, and their little button child Isabella – deciding that for 1 year they would eliminate their carbon footprint, which is no easy task for Manhattan-ites. Some changes are drastic, some are doable, some are psycho, but everything is admirable. They travel only by foot or bike (he even winds up constructing a bike “SUV”), shop only at the farmer’s market in Union Square, forego electricity for 6 months, garden, refrain from buying anything new, do their laundry in a bath tub, and so on and so forth. These changes taught Colin and his wife how to connect closer to the community, to the earth, and to each other.
Although I could never go without toilet paper (which they did, believe it or not) and quit cold turkey on dining out (which they also did, believe it or not), I am psyched to bring some of Colin’s no impact methods into my own life. For whoever actually reads this blog and whoever is actually interested, below are some ideas on how I (and maybe even you!...?) am going to try to soften my environmental impact in the coming months and years (key word: try). I feel compelled to make some positive changes along with the changing of the seasons – a little hippie-ish of me, I know, but I like the connection, so stop judging:
-compost (eventually)!
-start a garden, even if its just herbs (although I have a tendency to kill plants, but I have faith that I can change… I hope)
-shop at farmer’s markets for local produce, dairy, flower, the works
-make foods that are usually store-bought such as hummus, veggie burgers, juice, bread, salsa, baked goods (cookies!), and cereal (granola!)
-make skin care or cleaning products that are normally store-bought such as lotion, face wash, and tile/floor cleaners (Gorgeously Green has a TON of recipes for all of these items; check out the website for more info: www.gorgeouslygreen.com)
-use only reusable shopping/produce bags, water bottles, coffee cups, napkins
-shop out of the bulk bins at the market (I went to the market the other day and all I saw was plastic. Plastic EVERYWHERE.)
-walk/ride a bike/use public transportation wherever and whenever possible
-consume less. Period.
So… here I go… at least I’m going to try.
Check out the No Impact websites for info on how to get involved in Colin's earth-friendly projects, eco tips, stories, etc.
http://www.noimpactdoc.com/index_m.php
http://noimpactproject.org/
Happy Harvest!
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