Tag Archives: colin beavan

Blog Action Day :: Water

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Each year I comment on Blog Action Day in relationship to something environmental. I give credit to change.org for their visibility worldwide and their passionate gathering of so many ideas and thoughts

With the issue of water I find myself personally overwhelmed. Billions of people in this world do not have safe drinking water.  Billions! I might be a green advocate but I am not leading the way here with regards to water. I am also main stream america. Can I even imagine being without drinking water?

When I was new to my business and new to parenting, I decided to purify my water at the tap. Not filter. Purify. I wanted to remove the flouride, the chlorine and all the many other spooky things found in municipal water. I thought I did this for safety reasons. For the safety of my family

I did this through reverse osmosis, and would probably still be doing it if my counter top gadget didn’t fall apart. I had it for over 15 years and I found that particular choice reassuring!! I will say now that I didn’t realize that my system was actually wasteful, there was a dripping into the drain for the processing.

Now I drink water from the tap. I am ingesting many things I am not interested in ingesting, including for this area at times high nitrates. Yikes!

How will this affect my well being?

No Impact Man professes that our municipal water is fine. He toots that we have the right to clean water for free. At some level I agree. So much worry. I feel at this point I am going to have to make do. I can’t afford a new water purifying system.

How did the water get so polluted in the first place? Ya know??

I have never really bought into the plastic bottled water thing. Convenient? Perhaps. It’s sooooo garbage producing? Scam? It’s polished tap water. I mean seriously folks. To pay for water just makes no sense to me.

I never thought of water as an industry or the harms of manufacturing bottled water. I just simply thought it was another stupid main stream consumerism that for me I was going to personally opt out of.

I ignored it.  I ignored that aisle in the store. Just like I ignore McDonalds, WalMart or other choices I might not make verses the choices the people I know make.

Certainly not a very proactive stance is it??

Then I watched the documentary Flow

In that film they discuss major environmental harm that comes from these mega companies producing bottled water. They shared the idea of water ownership and most alarming the theft of natural sources of water.  Who owns the water that flows in our streams ?? I never thought of that before.

How is it these companies can just take it, bottle it, and sell it for momentary profit, for single use hydration and produce such a large volume of garbage for our landfills too?

They take it !! STEAL. They don’t even pay for it! Or replenish it? Or do anything to leave it as they found it…they just take.  I was so positively stunned by this.

Worst yet, they sell the larger majority of the population on the idea that this water is actually better.

Its just proposterous!

One of my very favorite persons in action and sharing the water story is annie leonard and her video the story of bottled water. To me she appeals to everyday thinking and shares a larger picture.  She helps one see the impact of our need for convenience verses the impact on the environment.  Plus she does it in about 10 minutes flat!!

Another water awareness brought to my attention this year was paying for water.  I now own a home. I’ve been renting for years and years.  Now I pay for my water usage.  I am pretty frugal at many levels but when the bill goes up $16 dollars in one month, that’s because of my habits or my running toilet or the garden I planted.   I don’t shower daily, I do laundry maybe twice a month. I don’t flush every use. I manage a full dishwasher.  I got a rain barrel this summer.

Could I do better?  I think I could.

I  think we all could use a jolt of water usage awareness.

I think if I had to use the 5 gallon a day rule, like crunchy chicken suggested …I’d be shocked at how much water I actually use. I am one person.  Imagine if the 5 gallon rule applied to a family??

We take water for granted.  I know I do.

I don’t have all the solutions, and I still feel overwhelmed.

I can totally advocate getting rain barrels to produce less storm water run off

or showering less, or not buying bottled water.

I can also participate in Blog Action Day and have you discover for yourself how you feel about water.

Day Three :: No Impact Project

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Transportation.  BIG topic in relationship to the green movement.  Would you agree?

Currently our community is sponsoring a good to go commuter challenge, a friendly neighbor hood competition that encourages one to shift how they get to work.  What are your attitudes about reducing the use of your car? Is it possible for you?

I ask because the logical solution for many is to ride their bike.  Due to car accidents and wrist injuries riding a bicycle isn’t an alternative to me. I would love if it was, and even if I some day get the recumbent bike that might fit my concerns, I don’t think  I’d use it for my commuting efforts. I’d feel too vulnerable. I’d ride my bike on a trail designed for cycling.

I am going to sound like I have a million excuses. But if I wasn’t handicapped regarding bike riding – how would this work??

If I have a business meeting 3 miles away at 7 am, how do I arrive at that meeting looking like a business professional? How do I coif myself, feed myself and allow an additional hour for my green commute? I’d have to get up at 5 in the morning!? or earlier?!  What if it rains?  What if it snows?  How do I then manage the sequential business appointments I might have, again in a timely manner and not have pit stains ? What about all the stuff I need to carry with me? I suppose I could ditch the professional wardrobe and go sporty, and I suppose I could put my hair in a pony tail, and I suppose I could have bags on my bike that hold stuff, including garb for who knows what weather concerns.

Isn’t that sortof like buying more stuff??

and what about all that sweating ??

My son rides his bike everywhere in a major metropolitan city all year round. He carries his life in a back pack, his job is even cycle related. He looks good in those spandex bike shorts, and sweaty suits his I’m 24 and I love my bike attitudes.  He has a nice musky scent to him all the time.  He’s a guy!!

Am I too concern about my appearance ?

I am curious how other woman handle it.

What path would I ride on?? This community is a sprawl of highways, fast food restraunts and malls, it’s not a bike friendly community in anyway.  The mere idea of it actually scares me

I walk. I walk for my well being.  I could walk to the farmers market or to work in the coffee shop and write but for me I wonder how am I going to carry what I need with me? I am telling you that melon I bought last week stuffed in a back pack would not be good for my back — I am just not physically able to manage it.

Ugh.

This is to me why so many balk at these types of shift. Its not easy. It’s not convenient, it takes a remarkable commitment and effort. For those who do it I admire their gumption and tenacity

I will tell you one thing I am proud of regarding my car usage.  I use to hop in the car to go get a lemon I needed for a recipe. I’d think nothing of driving 45 minutes for dinner with a friend. These days I think twice about random car adventures. If I am in an area for work I will make use of that trip and stack my appointments so that with one trip I accomplish many things.  For grocery shopping I go every other month for stocking and I do local intermittent farmers market weekly.  The truth for me because I work from home, my commute is much less than the average person.  Last year the mileage on my car, and my car is a compact car, was 5600 miles for the year. The average is 11 – 17, 000 per year. I can at least feel good about that!

I feel like I could somehow embrace this topic more.  I feel typical in my it’s too hard attitude. I am not exampling this area of my life the way I’d like to. I feel really  whiney about it.

What is good about having green tendencies is that there is room for many shades of green.  If efforts and strides are being made, even small steps – they ALL add up.

Thank you No Impact Man for Day Three and the opportunity to ponder this important topic.

photo by karen hanrahan

Day Two :: No Impact Man Project

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The topic today for Day Two of the No Impact Man Project is TRASH

The project asks you to evaluate your trash production and to look for ways to improve the way you manage your trash.

Are you producing trash ??

In our home we got better at our garbage sorting to the point of having much more recyclables at curbside than trash in the can. The landlord we had at the time had a barrel composter of which I could add my veggie scraps and that reduced my wet garbage tremendously. I thought that was pretty cool.

Now as an empty nester, I still follow similar habits.

It takes me two sometimes three weeks to fill a brown paper bag with garbage that goes the curb. I worm compost now – right in my very own basement. It’s so cool! All my fruit and veggie scraps get blended and added to the bin. The worms are digging it

I’ve added more awareness regarding purchasing items with less packaging, but have a way to go in that department.

One thing I know I could do would be to make my own yogurt. I haven’t tried. Other food type things are just challenging as heck.  Cheese in plastic wrappings, prepared stocks or tomato in tetra packs, salad greens when not purchasing from the farmers market etc …

To me the ultimate goal to me would be to not have curbside recyclables at all!!

The truth is I am still producing garbage.  We all are.

What does your trash look like ??

What are your local resources for those odd things you want to recycle? The wiggly light bulbs? Batteries? The project encourages you to check that out and to be more mindful.  Collectively every little bit does help

Day One :: No Impact Man Project

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Colin Beavan aka No Impact Man asks participants on Day One of his project/experiment to observe consumption. At IWU today, students are encouraged to turn in their copies of  their No Impact Man book so others who haven’t read them can have access to the book.  They also suggest that students poke around at local thrift stores for gently used items and clothing instead of hitting the mall. The provided an awesome list of local resources.

For myself I have these observations and thoughts:

I shifted to a non-consumption model a ways back.  Two recent moves to smaller places each time had one observe the many items one has acquired over the years that are simply not being used.  I also obviously downsized now that my youngest is in college. The question to ask over and over …do i really need this??

I have in my closet way less shoes and clothes than most woman I know. When I lost all my weight i couldn’t afford to revamp my entire wardrobe. I altered many items and then purchased just a few key pieces.  I think where I fail is when seasons shift I find myself wishing for something new. Not needing something new, but wanting.   I find if I stay away from the stores that it solves that problem pretty fast.  Going to the mall = shopping, which inevitably ends up with consumption. By discontinuing all my mail order catalogs I am not lured into online shopping.  I am patiently exploring the thrift shops here and adore the concept of buying gently used items yet I have to say shopping thrift for clothing for me hasn’t been very successful.

When I look at my spending, besides my bills my absolute largest expenditure is food.  I have been evaluating this in recent times.  For me a full fridge is “comforting”  and some how very reassuring. If there is food to eat. I can survive!! When it’s just me …do I need a full fridge??  Because I am a scratch cook it’s my habit to have things around so i can make things as I need to. That might be muffins or soup or a pasta sauce. The old me had an inventory of supplies that looked a lot like a grocery store!! Conceptually I do prefer to stock certain things, this to me again keeps me fed, less trips to the store and all in all better for the environment.  Yet what I’ve discovered is I don’t really think I NEED to have so much on hand.

I think the biggest lesson I am learning now is to cook seasonally.   I think at some level I do this by habit – in the summer you eat summer type foods – in winter you eat soup!! However the grocery store markets all food items all year round.  If we were to actually eat by what is grown nearby we’d be eating differently. This summer was the first summer that I purchased weekly at the farmers market. It opened my eyes to eating what each season provides. The fruit and vegetables were so delicious! Nothing compares!! I tried new items I’ve never eaten before thanks to the sharing of our local farmers.   The farmers market conceptually isn’t a one stop shop.  I have learned  to work with what they provided and shift my cooking and eating habits a bit. I am not perfect in this area but this summer I ate more locally than ever before!!

I am not much of an entertainer, here at home when guests are over we drink water from the tap, seasonally we might have warm tea or if libation is involved it’s most often bring your own. I would love to have more dinner parties as I love the hearth created around a home made meal, currently my budget doesn’t allow much of that. I do think that from an entertainment perspective though the lowest cost, the healthiest and truly the most green way to have fun is to stay home!! Potluck anyone!!

I want to say one more thing.  Stores and commercials on TV are hyping the what’s next holiday.   I was such a huge consumer when my children were young. So much of it just got pitched. I think of that and feel awful.  I just didn’t think much about it back then.  Last year for my Christmas holiday gifting I purchased ALL thrift. I firstly saved a ton of money!  Secondly it was really very much like a treasure hunt, once the perfect item was found it was so rewarding!!  The gifting was way more personal and unique.

Having Impact Via No Impact Man

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This morning I sat in a very crowded university hall listening to the convocation comments of Colin Beavan aka No Impact Man. His role was to inspire and launch the new freshman into the new year, all of whom had read his book as part of the summer reading program.

My fantasy was to actually meet him, talk with him, be in his greenness and perhaps snap a photo – just us.

[ insert really great photo of no impact man and best of mother earth here ]

He was unfortunately scooped up and away as part of his responsibilities at the university.

Understandably so!

His fall speaking circuit is a follow up not only to IWU’s freshman, but to 30,000 kids who read his book this past summer!

Impressive stuff!!

Thankfully I did have access to his comments today and his classic, what I will affectionately call befuddledness, of which he pulls off really really well.

I am a no impact man fan. I admit this. If  you steep yourself in any of his work you will feel a loyalty to him. It isn’t hard to do.

He’s thoughtful, engaging, funny, inspirational and adorably befuddled!

To me befuddled  means he’s sort of brilliant and confused at the same time.

Why did this person come into my world?

In the beginning, he opened my eyes to those who were doing green like things

and using blogging as a platform to include others in the journey.

He was way out loud about his exploration, his frustrations and his discoveries. All brilliantly documented thanks to his blog.

Past that I was really taken how someone seemingly so humble could take on fame and often fame that was criticized and be so gracious about it all.  This is what has me continue to follow his journey.

I think he stated it best when he asked  how do we work, earn a living passionately and have impact on the world we live in?  At first his project was about learning to live without impact on the environment. However his year of living sustainably  and all the thoughts he had along the way truly will have a lasting impact in a world that wants and needs to change.

I can’t say in my youth that I had access to anyone who inspired my path. My life path that is. I was motivated by small minded things like boys and problems at home and escaping them.   My friend recently shared of his influences as a child.  I thought my goodness who the heck influenced me?  I can’t actually say.  I can say that motherhood fostered a strength of character in me I had no idea of.   AND I can honestly say that in that path of being a mom, I became a person who wanted to help. Help in the community, help others feel well, educate according to my particular sensibilities; cooking from scratch, eating local and organic, taking one’s vitamins and cleaning green!!

I took a course long ago that centered around circles of influence and having a lasting impact in those circles of influence. At the time I had no idea what my ability was to leave a lasting impression.  I had no idea who I was, let alone how powerful an impact I might have!!  Turns out I had more influence than I knew!

This morning Colin asked these freshman to wonder why are they on this planet?  He spoke of choices, of thinking less of oneself and of how life or even world emergencies need to be resolved together. A simple, but very powerful message. I admire his work with our youth, our future really. These are the minds that are taking care of what might be next for all of us!!

How nice it was to be with you, your thoughts and your message Colin!