What Is Your Impact?

Mom was back at the library last week and decided to finally bite the bullet and check this book out. She told me about the book when it was first published but for some reason she didn't want to read it. The book has since been made into a movie but instead of seeing the movie Mom has decided to read the book. I just don't get.

No Impact Man is not just a book and a movie, it's a movement. A movement that started as an offbeat project to live without making any net impact on the environment for one year. Think about what this means. No net impact means no trash, no carbon emissions, no plastics, no nothing. How is this possible? Is it possible?

Colin Beaven was just an ordinary guy who one day looked in the mirror and questioned the impact his life was having on the environment. Have you ever done this? You know that Mom has and does, probably more then she should. If everyone did this I wonder what the results would be. Would people care more or care less? Continue to live their lives the same or make changes? Or would they go over the edge and become No Impact Man?

The fact that Beaven decided to do the project is one thing but when you consider his location you'll wonder how he did it. Beaven, his wife, young daughter, and dog live in New York City. The biggest city in the US is where Beaven realizes he lives a life of convenience that isn't very convenient for the planet. Our lives are wrapped up in convenience from single use items to take out food. All that convenience has a huge impact on the environment.

But how to start the project? Jump in whole hog and eliminate everything? Go from riding the elevator, taking taxis, ordering take-out, drinking out of plastic water bottles, etc. to doing none of the above? Now that would just be crazy, even crazier than the project. Instead, Beaven decides to make changes in stages. Stage one: live without making garbage. Hmmm. How could that possibly be done? And for a whole year?

The entire project was documented on Beaven's blog. Step by step, changes were made, impacts lessened, and lessons learned. And then the movement started. People followed the blog, took actions similar to Beaven's, and spread the message. Then the book was published and more people joined the party. The movie soon followed and what started as a crazy idea has become a movement. A movement with a lot of impact.

Mom hasn't finished the book yet and she doesn't want me to give too much away. I will tell you that one of the first chapters is about garbage which is right up Mom's alley. The throwaway lifestyle that we've been leading cannot really been thrown away, can it? The garbage in your garbage can may just be garbage to you and I but if you look closely you will see resources. Resources thrown away, tossed aside. Everything we toss out is created using finite resources that can never be replaced. But how can we change?

Baby steps, right? Beaven's light bulb moment of the first day of the project occurred when he got up in the morning to blow his nose. He reached for a paper towel and realized that he couldn't create any garbage. After much soul searching, he understood the true impact the paper towel had on the environment. It's wasn't just a matter of creating garbage anymore, but a deeper understanding of the entire impact of using a single use item. One of Mom's favorite paragraphs occurs right at the end of the garbage chapter. I had Mom read it to me several times because it had such an impact on me.

Once I knew the facts, what I blew my nose on in the morning didn't feel so trivial to me anymore. To me, the paper towel began to represent my throwaway lifestyle. It represented the fact that we are trashing the planet's resources for conveniences that turn out not even to be convenient. It represented the fact that I had been, for years, using throwaway products that I'm not sure have really made me happier and certainly haven't made the planet happier.

Even though I don't blow my nose, I realized that this was my message. Once you know the facts, how can you not make changes? What is preventing you doing what you know is right? If we're all in this together, and you know we are, why aren't we trying to make the planet happier?

From buying recycled content toilet paper, to using reusable bags, to joining a CSA, there are so many little changes that we can make that will have huge positive impacts on the environment. Even though we've been taught to not sweat the small stuff, it's the small stuff that snowballs into big stuff. The big stuff gets bigger and before you know it we are in crisis mode. And no one wants to be there, trust me.

I know each and everypug out there can make changes. You guys have shown me that you care about each other and the planet. You care enough to read my blog and so many of you have made changes and taken actions based on what I've posted. Please don't ever forget that every little bit helps. The impact you make, be it positive or negative, is felt by everyone today and will be felt by everyone in the future.

The purpose of No Impact Man is to get us thinking, thinking about our impact. Thinking hopefully leads to making changes, which leads to a better lifestyle, which leads to a happier self. Mother Earth thanks you in advance for caring about each other and for caring about her. We can make her happier, I know we can.