The Results of the No Impact Experiment Week
Day 1: Sunday: Consumption : Live a fuller happier life by buying less
Carrying a personal trash bag around at my uncle’s wake for one day, just one day, helped me realize how much I use and discard without even thinking. We’re talking things, not people. My days of using and discarding people mindlessly are pretty much behind me and now I miss them when they leave.
Day 2: Monday: Trash : Find out if wasting less improves your life
Baristas are used to the personal hot cup, but try asking for a muffin with no bag, no plate and no napkin, thank you. Terminally hip servers get struck flummoxed, Starbuckeroos need it repeated. And then repeated again for clarification. The family thinks you’re nuts when you pull out your own plate and cup at the after funeral brunch. But, it did get me extra good do-bee discounts in a few places. The downside? The extra weight, bulk & clutter of carrying my own water (no more plastic bottles of designer water), hot cup, utensils, tupperware and napkin is a bit annoying. I wonder if I can trade the good karma for a chiropractic adjustment.
Day 3: Tuesday: Transportation : Burn calories, not fossil fuels
Luckily, the funeral and all that family stuff is over. When it comes to days that only include the five boroughs, I generally leave the car in the garage anyway, using public transportation or my own two left feets. Unless I oversleep. Or it rains. Or I have to go to Brooklyn, because, really, there is no good way to get to Brooklyn from the borough of Q. Okay, not as many good do-bee points on this one as I thought I’d get.
Day 4: Wednesday: Food : Healthy eating can also lessen your foodprint
A few months ago I started on the eating locally/shopping seasonally kick, so should have been a breeze. Except I’ve been cheating by using up what was already in the house and allowing myself to keep special treats like canned smoked trout from Trader Joes, and basic necessities like Trident Sugarless Bubble Gum. That’s not going to change. The way a chicken will run around with its head cut off, I will still be chewing Trident Sugarless Bubblegum when they find my cold, dead body somewhere, whenever that happens to be.
Day 5: Thursday: Energy : Replace kilowatts with ingenuity, explore no-energy alternatives
My bedroom faces east and I don’t have curtains, so I get up with the sun. Breakfast by natural, rather than artificial, light was, well, gentle is the only word I can come up with. I’ve been “ghost energy” busting by unplugging appliances like toasters & blenders instead of simply turning them off. Today’s initiative took stock of the rest of the apartment. I gave up real TV, aka cable, years ago and if I watch one DVD a week, it’s a lot. The stereo, DVD/VCR and TV are all plugged into a powerstrip, which I turned off.
Day 6: Friday: Water : Soak up the personal benefits of using less water
I knew going in that water was going to be my personal Waterloo. I dream about long hot showers, crave long hot baths, even when I’m in them. It’s all about crawling back into the womb, I’m sure, but if I’m not willing to give that up (and I’m not), where can I make changes?
Well, there’s what I was already doing to justify the long hot showers: The whole “if it’s yellow, let it mellow” movement and not running the water while I brush my teeth. That stuff is easy when you live alone.
I grew up letting dishes soak in soapy water and not running the water while I scrubbed them. I can do that again, it’s just a habit I’d lost along the way. That’s easy. What surprised me was that while I’m rabid about the businesses hosing down the sidewalks rather than sweeping, I do the same thing. After I finish the dishes, instead of scooping it all up with a sponge, I use the sprayer to clean the sink. Used, past tense. I became aware and stopped that. It’s just a matter of being mindful.
Day 7: Saturday: Giving Back : Pay it forward!
Unfortunately the financial crunch has forced me to cut back on my volunteer work at the farm. That said, I was already riding the service bandwagon. No convincing needed. The road to happiness is paved with service to others.
Day 8: Sunday: Eco Sabbath : Take a break from everything! Don’t use any of your appliances, electronics, motorized transport, or money.
I didn’t get enough sleep last night, got up late, drove into the city & back, had breakfast out and I’m busily typing away by artificial light when I should be asleep. This was not a relaxing sabbath, although while I wasn’t able to shut anything else down, I was finally able to shut myself down with a long bath and a longer, much needed nap.
If this week was a test, I would’ve failed miserably. But good education is about learning, rather than test results and I learned things this week that I think’ll stick. I’ve reduced my household water and energy usage, converted to cloth napkins both in home and out, switched to 100% recycled tissue, stopped buying water in bottles or tea in disposable cups and became more aware of my reliance on fossil fueled transportation.
I’m not changing the whole world or saving an entire forest, but not unlike the starfish story, what I do will make a difference to at least one tree.
