... Some Ways to Change Your Life, Not Just Your LightbulbsOne of my favorite resources for inspiration and transformation is YES! Magazine. This month, they are offering a fun poster or free PDF file written by Colin Beavan, the "No Impact Man."
In November, 2006, Colin launched a year-long project in which he, his wife, his two-year-old daughter and his four-year-old dog went off the grid and attempted to live in the middle of New York City with as little environmental impact as possible.
His bestselling book, No Impact Man, was published this year by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. His experience was a shocker, and spurred him to launch the No Impact Project.
Here are his top three ways to "power the cultural change we need." I admit that while I'm partially already on board, some of these would not be easy for me; how about you?
I invite your comments in my Owl Mail! And I'll share more of his suggestions next month.
Eat Your Vegetables
All you have to do is stop eating beef. Worldwide, beef production contributes more to climate change than the entire transportation sector. The carbon footprint of the average meat eater is about 1.5 tons of CO2 larger than that of a vegetarian. Cutting beef out of your diet will reduce your CO2 emissions by 2,400 pounds annually.
Drink From The Tap
You can save money and your environment by giving up bottled water. The production of plastic water bottles together with the privatization of our drinking water is an environmental and social catastrophe. Bottled water costs more per gallon than gasoline. The average American consumes 30 gallons of bottled water annually. Giving up one bottle of imported water means using up one less liter of fossil fuel and emitting 1.2 pounds less of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Observe An Eco-Sabbath
For one day, one afternoon or even just one hour a week, don’t buy anything, don’t use any machines, don’t switch on anything electric, don’t cook, don’t answer your phone, and, in general, don’t use any resources.
In other words, for this regular period, give yourself and the planet a break. Every hour per week that you live 'no impact' cuts your carbon emissions by 0.6 percent annually. If you commit to four hours per week, that’s 2.4 percent; do it for a whole day each week and you cut your impact by 14.4 percent a year.
© 2009, YES! Magazine
Remember --
Every little bit makes a world of difference.
