About My Family and Me

Some background: I am 43 years old. Michelle is 39. Both of us are writers (you can read a little synopsis of my professional life here). We’ve been married four years, and the 2-year-old Isabella is our only child. Our four-year-old dog, Frankie, who was saved from a kill shelter in North   Carolina when she was a tiny puppy, is a mix of some sort of hound and border collie.

Ten legs and a tail, I like to call our family. Michelle agitates constantly to make it twelve legs. Only this morning, Michelle made up a baby song for Isabella that went something like “my last egg is dying but my husband doesn’t care…” Unfortunately for me, Isabella took to the tune and danced around the living room in the style of an Oompa Loompa.

We live, the four of us, in a 750-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment, which is one of the reasons I resist the extra set of legs. Members of Michelle's family refer to it alternatively as "the hovel" or "the grotto." Michelle calls it "the Nanoplex." Whatever you call it, it does at least benefit from being in a lower Fifth Avenue building with doormen and elevator operators and a marble-floored lobby.

When No Impact Man began, this high-class hovel, as far as I could tell, contained only one luxury item whose use—manufacture and delivery not withstanding—did not result in clouds of carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere. That item is a Room and Board ultra-plush, encased coil, king-sized bed which is too large for the bedroom. It causes a lot of bruised shins, but we need it to accommodate the family get-togethers we have every morning, roughhousing with Frankie, making the sheets itchy with breakfast crumbs and teaching Isabella to say “you’re crazy” and “Elmo sucks.”

Some of our best times are had in that bed—no nudges or winks intended. A baby crib two feet away doesn’t make for many nudges. Or winks. Perhaps it is for lack of “natural” entertainment that we used to have so many gadgets in the apartment to keep ourselves occupied. And all of these other luxury items, besides the bed, were carbon-producing.

They included a 52-inch television, which was admittedly too big for the living room, the TiVo box, which luckily was quite small, a computer or two, the cable box, two aforementioned air-conditioners, and an old dishwasher that makes so much noise that it scares Frankie into hiding in the bathtub. Household appliances, by the way, from microwave ovens to televisions, account for the production of 15 percent of each consumer’s greenhouse gas emission in the United States.

Come to think, a nationwide increase in “natural” entertainment might help save the world by reducing the demand for greenhouse-gas-producing distractions. At least, anyway, I plan to continue pitching “natural” entertainment to Michelle to replace the luxuries during throughout our no-impact year.

Comments

[kristina]

Can you advise how you efficiently "disposed" of these items, presuming of course they weren't deposited at the curb for waste pick-up, but perhaps swapped with someone in the city, sold to a new resident who needed to outfit their apartment, handed down to a family member?

[Colin Beavan aka No Impact Man]

Kristina--
The A/C units are in the basement of our building--fate after the year is over to be determined. The dishwasher is just where it was, but has been unplugged and now makes a rather expensive drying rack. The TV was moved out by two large men and taken to the house of our child-minder's assistant as a gift. The TiVo box is on a shelf in a closet because it contains the only record of a few or my wife's TV appearances (how do you ever retrieve them especially with no TV?). Various other items went to an e-waste recycling event run by the Lower East Side Ecology Center. Appliances like the food processor and the rice maker are on high shelves in the kitchen where they have been and will remain untouched for the duration of the project.
Colin aka No Impact Man

[Eva]

I'd love to see you address the impact of adding another set of legs to your family. While it makes a cute story, the "my last egg is dying" song obscures the fact that not having another child might be the most effective way of achieving the "no impact" ideal. My husband and I struggle with this all the time; while we may still wind up reproducing, we're very much in favor of adoption as a means of growing our family while making a positive contribution to our world.

[Jack]

Eva:
Adoption is certainly laudable, but at some point people that care about this sort of thing and who can physically reproduce, MUST reproduce. Otherwise, what kind of a world will we have? One that is only populated by the offspring of those that don't give a shit(toilet paper or not).

Jack

[John Lopez]

Hi, Colin:

I heard you on WNYC today. You've inspired me to begin making some changes. I was watching tv today and noticed that my 42 inch HD set generates a ridiculous amount of heat, even after just 30 minutes of Design to Sell on HGTV. How much energy do these things waste? It seems to me all that heat is just wasted energy I'll have to counter with AC this coming summer. Crap, I need a bike...

John

[Marcie]

Question: no spices? You mention only salt in NY Times article. Future indoor herb garden out of the question? Roof garden? (By the way, I'm writing from Sonoma County. Lots of amazing home-grown food here...and good bike paths.) Take care, mw

[Naysayer]

Well, you've found your ticket to fame and fortune. Just undergo a period of time where you are inconvenienced (but plenty of exceptions) then cash in with book and movie deals, then speaking engagements around the globe.
Julia "Butterfly" Hill did it, you can too.

[dew-arkansas]

Great.......Keep up the wonderful art of the good life. I, too, am car-free for 30 years and counting, plus I live in a tiny small dwelling! I am a one-pot meal lady, eat local and take no vacations, love the full-spectrum sunlight.
dew in arkansas!

[Carol]

When I read the words "Featured at Your Neighborhood Starbucks" upon clicking on the link to your publisher, I felt nauseous. Not only is your experiment rather hypocritical and elitist, so is your publisher for hyping Starbucks, the corporate king of throwaway cups and stirrers and accessories (not to mention peddler of high-priced caffeine fixes for over-achievers, aka American consumers).

As for your wife and the dilemma of her dying eggs, what you don't know can't hurt you. So, her dying eggs won't know if you opt to have a vasectomy. My husband, who is a true environmentalist, would be the first to tell you 1) it doesn't hurt 2) It's not expensive 3) you'll have no regrets, and the planet will be better for your decision...honestly!

[Monkey]

Adoption is certainly laudable, but at some point people that care about this sort of thing and who can physically reproduce, MUST reproduce.

Huh? That makes absolutely no sense. Are you suggesting that adoptive parents don't attempt to teach their child their value system? What difference would it make having a bio kid or an adopted kid if you taught them to live this way?

[Mike C]

Start the kid now. By the time it's ready to emerge, you'll be back in toilet-paper-allowed land.
At 39 or 40, you can't be choosy, and you shouldn't wait. Waiters wind up not getting.
Two more legs! Two more legs!
All best,
Mike Connelly

[ab]

I wonder if you have thought of wind using a small wind generator, it may depend on your location, but is a really feasible option. Also have you considered a bidet? As someone living with no indoor plumbing I was rather astonished by the level of shock produced by giving up tp, really.
Also check out the artists N55 they have developed some great systems

[David]

KNOCK HER UP!

Have the baby. This is PURELY selfish, but the kids are the single greatest source of joy in parents' lives.

David

[Full Impact Woman]

For the next year, I will be your polor opposite.

[billygoat]

Real men, who have any balls, get snipped!

FREE VASECTOMIES FOR EVERYONE!

One of the best things I ever did... seems the height of self-absorbency to reproduce new bipeds when there are millions of castaways already here in horrible circumstances.

Adopt and teach! We need to a massive HumanOS upgrade!

[Caroline]

The comment about being elitist and hypocritical struck me as being, well, elitist and hypocritical. You never swore you were saving the earth or changing the entire capitalist society in which we live; you are trying an experiment. We live in an imperfect world, and unless you want to go live in a Plato's cave somewhere, there's going to be inconsistencies in anyone's life. I applaud you for doing what many, many people are unwilling to do.

[Tab Schweitzer]

I would love to comment on your lifestyle choice but feel the need to unplug computer to save ene......

[Agrifolio]

I agree with you. Unfortunately, generally those of your mindset are just those who should be having children and populate the world because they are caring, intelligent, and their progeny would likely be as well.In my early twenties, I, too, said I would never have children because the world was too "messed up". But the two beautiful, wonderful human beings my husband and I ultimately did "have" grace our lives - and the lives of others - daily. Who's to say?!

[Sara]

Zoiks. I forget that sharing your personal struggles with fertility/childbearing open up the eugenicist-freak floodgates. You just keep on sharing, Mr No-Impact-Man. You know what the Irish say? "Fugh the begrudgers." Well, one Irish person I knew used to say that. I don't know if it's "fugh" rather than "fuck" for reasons of etiquette, local vernacular or she was just too, too drunk to pronounce it right. For the record, I vote Breed. Isn't your wife good to you? Don't you want to make her happy? It sounds like she goes along with Your crazy schemes. C'mon.
Sara in Cheyenne

[Caelidh]

Bravo.

Heard about you originally on Hannity (who was sneering at your efforts at the same time condemning Al Gore for being hypocritical.) I guess Hannity can't be happy.

But I think what you are doing is great. All the liberal and conservative naysayers and nitpickers obviously don't understand what you are doing or attempting to do.

I kind of see it akin to folks laughing at Noah (and I am not Christian) while he built the ark. You are doing something and learning something about yourself and the world we live in and you probably will have a lot of interesting useful information in the end.

I think folks are just scared.

I am going to be 39 next month and I am trying to make a similar change, perhaps not so extremem.. but for the next year I am going to really try to live less impactfully. It is a process, definatly and it is one that isn't going to happen overnight. Just remembering to bring in my canvas bag into the grocery store is a struggle right now. But what revolution we could have if folks made some of the changes you are implementing. Overall, being more conscious about what they do.

We are so far removed from planet earth all the while we tread on her and get yelled at for being "eco nuts". Well. I am PROUD to be a "tree-hugging, earth worshipping Eco-nut"!..

It is better than being a selfish bastard who wants to nuke the middle east!

PEace
Namaste

[Non-ReproducerWoman]

I appreciate that you seem to care about having little impact on the earth. Thank you! : )) However, by bringing into the world another human being, who will likely be consuming and polluting to some degree for about 70 years, regardless of how you raise her, you just negated every good thing you and your wife did to help the earth. Sorry. It's just a mathematical fact.
If you REALLY want to lessen the impact on the earth, I suggest you confront the reality of overpopulation and encourage everyone you speak to to NOT bring another consumer/polluter into the world. If people do that it will result in a far greater positive impact on the planet than all of the other things combined that you recommend in regards to lifestyle changes.
Yes, I know your daughter will likely consume and pollute less than most North Americans, but even so, it's too much. I consume and pollute less than any North American I've ever known, and it would still take 2.3 planets like earth to sustain my "extravagent" lifestyle if everyone lived like I do. Plus you can't control what your daughter does the rest of her life. And if she brings yet another human being into this world she will just flush all the good she did in her life by living properly down the drain too.

For those interested in checking out YOUR footprint on the earth, see this site: http://www.earthday.net/footprint/index.asp
Don't forget to multiply your footprint accordingly, for every new 70 year long consumer/polluter (child) you've added to the earth or plan to add!

For those TRULY interested in lessening their impact on earth, and who are willing to confront the reality of the impact of the choice to reproduce, please see this website: http://vhemt.org/

"Each time another one of us decides to not add another one of us to the burgeoning billions already squatting on this ravaged planet, another ray of hope shines through the gloom.

When every human chooses to stop breeding, Earth's biosphere will be allowed to return to its former glory, and all remaining creatures will be free to live, die, evolve (if they believe in evolution), and will perhaps pass away, as so many of Nature's "experiments" have done throughout the eons.

It's going to take all of us going."
http://vhemt.org/aboutvhemt.htm#vhemt

[Ami]

Hi!

My husband & I heard about you on NPR last night and we were impressed that you could attempt this feat in NYC.
It is somewhat easier out here in CA.

I was wondering if you knew that most of what you are attempting to do forms the basis of "Jainism"?

I was born and brought up a Jain, and I subscribe to both their main tenets of non-violence & zero environmental impact...which turn out to be the same thing.

Some examples:

Jain religion does not believe in the use of electricity - it kills microscopic organisms,
no vehicular transport - orthodox followers walk everywhere
encourages water-only fasts & meditation
forbids animal/dairy product including tubers - more concentrated life-forms than an apple, for instance
forbids green leafy vegetables during the monsoon - that is the time insects proliferate and you may inadvertently eat them.

After marriage, my husband (a practicing Hindu) decided to turn vegetarian and we hope to continue living/supporting a minimal (v/s the zero impact advocated by Jainism) impact lifestyle.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

[Heather]

This is just a suggestion for further reducing your impact if you do decide to have another child (adopted or biological!). You've already done cloth rather than disposable diapers. How about trying Elimination Communication, aka EC, aka diaper-free baby? We were quite skeptical but wanted to try it with our daughter, and at just 4 months she very obviously prefers peeing in her potty than in her pants, and is even dry almost all night. It's fantastic, and we're not even 'hard-core' about it!

ECing families use fewer diapers each day, so there's less washing. (Hard-core ECers go *completely* diaper-free, others use diapers as 'back-up' for misses) Plus, most EC'd babies are 'potty-independent' by around age 2, so you're using diapers for less time.

There are many books and websites about it, including a very well-written wikipedia entry. Check it out!

[TasterSpoon]

How funny, I just saw you on Colbert and then stumbled across your blog. I hadn't realized you were in NYC (but remember wondering whether they'd flown you in).

It's great that you're sharing your thoughts - even about really personal things like increasing your family. Even if your commenters all disagree with one another - how great that you're getting the conversation out there.

I'm mostly a lurker but will be following along...