Now that I'm only lower impact man

Some truths about my life without the gazillion rules to follow:

• I don't like making an impact but I like living in the dark less--the lights are on. All our bulbs are CFL. We buy wind power (and you can too). Nothing is plugged in when it isn't used. The fridge is on but the freezer isn't. The A/C is never coming back. So far no appliance but the vacuum.
• I can't even look at a plastic cup. I still carry my jar everywhere. I don't even believe in filtered water anymore. I drink water straight from the tap. Municipal water should be clean and free. If rich people don't insist on this by drinking it, it won't be.
  
• Baking soda cleans my hair and deodorizes my armpits. Olive oil and beeswax moisturize my skin. But I'm a sucker for toothpaste--not really, but I have areas of my teeth that supposedly need fluoride. I'd be perfectly happy brushing with a mixture of Dr Brommers and baking soda.
• I ride the subway when it rains and once or twice when it was cold, but can't bring myself to get in a taxi. I love public transportation but I still love my bike more.
• I'm still the weirdo with the cloth, who won't use a paper napkin and always asks the waiter to take it back. It's so trivial but I can't help myself.
• I eat at restaurants cause it's fun and social but all our home shopping is done at the farmers' market. I can't bring myself to order takeout wrapped in plastic or paper.
• I took an airplane to Minneapolis for Christmas. The train was going to cost $2700 and we couldn't swing it. I offset with Native Energy. I hate that I flew but I'm also not prepared to never see family again. I am prepared to be very sparing, compared with days of old, when it comes to air travel.
• Hence, I am taking the train from NYC to Indianapolis and back to give a talk next week. Forty-four hours on the train for one hour's work. But I'm looking forward to it. I have a little compartment. I'll report.
• I take short showers with a one gallon per minute shower head.
• I bought two pairs of new shoes--not from shopping addiction but need--but they are made from hemp and reused tire rubber and union made. They're called Black Spot from Adbusters. See the picture? Cool, right?
• I'm obsessed with turning off lights that aren't in use in whatever building I go in.
• I'm a freak.
• I'm beyond irrelevant.
• Care to join me?
• Help!
• Michelle turns the radiators on but I turn them off when she isn't looking.
• I know the air travel undoes everything.
• I don't have the answers.
• All the same, any questions?

Comments

[Charlotte]

I like your truths, especially the second to last one. We don't all have all the answers, but we're all trying to do something - aren't we? I really admire your project and find it inspirational.

[Julayne]

If your speaking engagement in Indy is open to the public please let us know. I'm not too far away and would love the opportunity to hear you speak.
I wish there were more freaks like you!

Peace!

[CLM]

I loved the comments...I'm trying to live lower impact too. I've come to realize that being alive in this time and place is IMPACT and I'm just trying to do the best I can.

[danny bloom]

http://pcillu101.blogspot.com

Dear Low Impact Man,
If worst comes to worst in the far distant future, what about polar cities for survivors of global warming? That's my question. can you answer yes or no or maybe and blog about the idea of polar cities one day? It's part of the big picture too. Sigh

danny

44 hours by train for one hour talk. Good on you, mate!

[iemagic]

Don't feel like the air travel undoes everything. I had a moment like that this Christmas when we were drowning in plastic toys from our extended family. I had to remind myself that even though the energy and waste that went into making those toys far exceeds any savings I create through my lifestyle, most people are both buying those toys and leading an energy intensive life. There is improvement and every action counts. Keep going! You're an inspiration!

[ashley]

I, too, live close-ish to Indy, and I'd love to hear you speek!! Let me know :)

[Becca]

How much garbage (if any) do you generate as lower-impact man?

[nikkapotamus]

I'm so glad that you have down the no impact experiment. So even if you feel that you have to lead a lower impact life and are disappointed with certain choices you need to make, just remember how many other lives you have touched. Just think, with all the extra people doing something as small as recycling a yogurt container, or taking a shorter shower because of reading your blog, you have made a HUGE impact.
Thank you.

[Marcie]

Just wanted to say that you have definetly made an impact on me. I have changed the way I have lived my life from the tips you have given and the way you have lived for the past year.
I'm sure you've made a big impact on others as well.
As one of the other commenters said, good on ya!

[Lynn]

Please read:

Warning: Vacate room when CFL bulb breaks
Energy-saving devices called so dangerous everyone must leave for at least 15 minutes

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59554

[bluestar]

I often despair just as you do about the air travel (half of my family lives in Spain - not a chance that I would ever in a million years give up seeing them forever) but then I start wondering...imagine if everyone did all of the things on your list, but used air travel when necessary to visit family (and just that, which I get is very idealistic, but work with me). That would make a TREMENDOUS difference in the environment, wouldn't it? Maybe I'm way off, I don't have numbers to back me up or anything, but if everyone shut off lights when not in use, unplugged appliances, got rid of AC, used a glass jar instead of cups/bottles, took short showers, etc etc etc, wouldn't everyone doing that make up for a portion of the population using air travel to see family? I think it would.

I guess what I'm saying is, it's everyone's burden to bear and I don't think you should feel guilt over the air travel thing when you're doing more than your fair share of conserving elsewhere.

[just ducky]

Nice to meet you--I'm a freak too! Actually my husband, daughters and 2 puppies are too! And we like it that way...

How is Michelle doing without the NIM rules? I'd like to hear how things have changed for her and Isabella now too.

[Fanny]

I still think you rock.

[Maggie]

I would also love to see your talk in Indy!!!

[betsy]

so the next step is to start lobbying the airlines for more efficient planes, and congress for higher plane efficiency standards, right? Any thoughts on how we can get that process going?

[betsy]

ps. And I think you rock, too. You've definitely made an impact on my life! (no TP, baking soda all the way, less takeout, saving shower water to flush the toilet, and on and on)

[Missy]

I stopped by the comments to say -- you can't call yourself no impact man, because you've definitely made an impact on me. Reading the comments, I see a couple others have already used that punchline. But it's true. Thanks for sharing such great information, as well as the human side to the story.

[anne]

Boeing's new 787 airplane, in production now, is at least 20% more fuel efficient than comparable airplanes, and it is being ordered by many, many airlines, so there is hope for smaller impact in air travel.

[jewishfarmer]

I liked this post a lot, Colin. I think you did a good job sorting things out.

Re:air travel. Here's the thing - we do have to fly vastly less. But where should the vastly less come out of? Some of it will have to come out of what Monbiot calls "love miles" - seeing each other less frequently. For example, the old style "family reunion" might be a good solution here - once every couple of years, everyone who needs to get together gets together at the same time, thus allowing as many efficiencies of scale as possible - people sharing cars for long drives, working out shared train arrangements, and also cutting down on the simple number of trips by making sure that you all get together at once. At one time, one might save special events for such a time - a wedding, a christening, the celebration of recent major anniversaries and birthdays.

But the other thing is that an enormous part of travel is business and luxury travel - if we were to reserve our travel for really necessary "love miles," our impact might not be perfectly ideal, but it would be so vastly less that it is almost unimaginable. We have lower energy technologies - phone, video, etc.., that can simply bring an end to most business travel, and all of us can get over the vacation thing.

I'm sure you're a freak, but freak power is an excellent thing ;-).

Cheers,

Sharon

[sociology]

Ditto the people about Indy. Where in Indy? Is it open to the public?

[Jacob]

I love what you're doing here. I'm working on minimizing my impact as well, which fortunately is not as difficult here in State College, Pennsylvania as I thought it would be at the outset.

Freaky is good; without freaks the world would be a boring place.

[Zwischen]

Freaks unite!

I have decided to do "The Compact" for a second year, knowing that I won't be perfect this year either but still trying anyway. Changes made this year that are permanent:

-- No more plastic shopping bags. Not ever.
-- Replaced all my batteries with rechargeables. It was a new purchase, but it allowed me to make a smarter environmental choice.
-- Every non food purchase is thought out in advance. Do I really need it? Where will I put it when not in use, and is there space? Can I get it used? What will happen to it when it breaks or I don't want it anymore? Very few new purchases make it through.
-- I started composting - or rather taking my compost to the drop off at Union Square. That is all down to you, Colin! My trash is so much lighter and less stinky as a result.
-- I started buying food items in bulk to reduce packaging: popcorn, oatmeal, raisins, beans...there's lots of yummy stuff in bulk
-- I still travel, but try to reduce my footprint by taking the train when I can (oh how I wish Amtrak were as heavily subsidized as the airlines! That's why it is so expensive-- air travel is ARTIFICIALLY CHEAP).
-- I stopped ordering take-out, because of the packaging and the waste. And I lost 8 pounds. Hmmm....

Changes that are taking place this year:
-- Reducing plastic in my life! Thank you EnviroWoman and Beth from Fake Plastic Fish
-- I'm switching to tap water too. Monkey see, monkey do. Gave away one of 2 Brita filters this morning on Freecycle.
-- Stop using plastic produce bags. This one is tricky for me, for some reason. It won't be once I get off my ass and make some cloth drawstring bags.
-- Take shorter showers, and make it a permanent, lifelong habit. Also tricky for me. I love to space out under the steam.
-- Buy a couple more smart energy strips so more appliances can be turned OFF easily.
-- Focus more this year on releasing the stuff I have and don't need, and valuing the rest. Fill my life with people, not stuff.

Keep the good going!

Juli in NYC

[David]

We just took the train from LA to Chicago for Christmas with our own little compartment too, you will have a fantastic time! I posted some pictures and people really seem to dig the idea, which I am so glad to hear. 40 hours on the train and we didn't get bored once. I look forward to your report!

[H.M.]

Well sir, you've had an impact upon me.

http://hudsonmackenzie.blogspot.com/2008/01/impact.html

[tim]

A buddy of mine purchased those Black Spot shoes a while ago.. He said they were the most uncomfortable shoes he's ever had; couldn't wear them. He was really bummed, because he WANTED them to work for him.

So, just a friendly warning from some other low impact people. :)