Comments on: No Impact Man Book Discussion: Chapters 2 & 3

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:28:20 +0000

Just a small bit of info: I discovered recently that most mobile phones have the (hidden) option to wake you up even when turned off. Check the user manual as it’s really well concealed but mine is more than 2 years old and can do that. Cheers…

By: Nicholas

Nicholas — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:07:39 +0000

hey there,

i think you might enjoy this exclusive web short the colbert report did with
colin beaven. here is the link:

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/253249/october-19-2009/exclusive—backstage-with-colin-beavan

hope you like!

thanks,
nick

By: LM

LM — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:03:22 +0000

Enjoying life without consumption? That’s easy, and you don’t have to play charades. Make music, dance, go for a walk, write a story or a poem, construct a modernist sculpture out of kitchen utensils, act out a scene from your favorite play (or write a play yourself), explore the city you live in, learn a new language, … The list goes on and on. My entertainment of choice is playing the piano, which has fairly little impact on the environment.

By: heather w

heather w — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:27:22 +0000

regarding starting a challenge without knowing what we’re in for first: a timely question as I am at this very moment hestitating to sign up for the No Impact experiment — http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/ — until they’ve posted the guide for the week, to be sure I’m willing to do it all “right” — which is SO not the point!

By: OrcaSister

OrcaSister — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 05:08:23 +0000

Enjoy life with little consumption -
home grown music – I have a fiddle and I’m learning to play contra dance music. It’s a great way to spend a lot of time. Since I want to play the tunes fast, I ahve to memorize them and play them over and over. Once I have the tune in my head, I don’t even have to turn on a light, just take the fiddle and play it slowly.

Thanks for posting about these two chapters.

By: Beany

Beany — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:53:19 +0000

When we did our bike trip from PA to TX, I wanted to do it with little impact as possible. I wanted to cook as many meals as possible using raw ingredients picked up from the road side stands, farmers’ markets,etc.

I found that my biggest hangups are flush toilets and hot food. I can poop in a hole in the ground and leave no trace, but it is so damn difficult to do (esp. if I’m paranoid about bugs flying into inappropriate places, deer snorting and shuffling around close to me while I’m trying to do my business).

I also got really tired of eating cold foods. I like my food hot and steaming and spicy and curryfied. There is all sorts of impact in that desire of mine.

Besides those two things, I can give up pretty much everything.

—

My favorite way to enjoy life w/o consumption? A bicycle ride. I am so absurdly happy when I’m riding. I am enjoying riding up hills and the sense of accomplishment is so incredibly empowering.

By: Mary Kay

Mary Kay — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:32:10 +0000

This isn’t related to the post, but I have a funny story that happened this week. I went to get a haircut and I was listening to a stylist trying to sell someone a bunch of products. Well, when I had my hair cut, the stylist kept going on and on about how great my hair felt and how healthy it was. I just smiled and nodded. The reason my hair is so healthy is that I stopped using stuff on it. I use a shampoo bar and that’s it (haven’t been brave enough for the no-poo). With the shampoo bar I don’t need any conditioner or styling products and my hair feels great. I didn’t realize before that products strip the hair of its natural oils and cause all of the problems that they are designed to solve. I never would have thought of changing my shampoo to do something for the environment. Thanks Beth!

By: Clif

Clif — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:21:00 +0000

My number one priority is to make things harder on my body than they need to be. Of course that is a funny word – need. What my body needs is exercise, not convenience, so I am doing what I truly need to do. Instead of loading up with groceries on a big trip by car to the grocery store (half a mile away), I deliberately get only what I can carry on my person. Ooops! Forgot something! No big deal, I’m off on another 1 mile walk.

By doing this regularly, physical things become effortless and enjoyable. I end up looking forward to walking anywhere and when there are stairs to climb – no problem.

Another good rule – slow down in everything and do only one thing at a time. No need for frantic exercise, jogging, going to a health club, just walk at a decent pace everywhere you can. I’m not punishing myself, I reward my walks with a can of Coke! Skip a meal – I skip lunch.

Don’t sweat the cellphone. Put all your energy worries aside other than those about using a car – the automobile is a giant sink for energy that stands head and shoulders above everything else we do, not just the operation of one but the production of one as well. If Americans have a giant environmental footprint it is in the form of the tread-mark of a tire. If you can avoid using a car (and I know you do), or better yet not own a car, Saint Peter, the environmentalist who stands at the Golden Gate to meet you when you die, will without a doubt admit you with a smile and a wave.

By: Gia

Gia — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:51:56 +0000

It’s such a hard transition to make, isn’t it? I can remember when I first started making green strides, my roommate was always frustrated that I would unplug EVERYTHING. My roomie had to get used to re-plugging in the TV or the coffee pot before trying to turn it on. But I start to kind of get crazy about it and before I could spell out the word environement, I was trying to grocery shop without purchasing anything shrink wrapped. It’s such a hard thing to find a happy medium between consumerism and total hippie.

“So to repeat my last question: How can we find balance in an unbalanced world? That’s what I would love to know.”

All I try to do is my best and keep my chin up while I’m at it. How can we do enough in our personal lives to make an impact on the marketplace and eventually the condition of the environment? It reminds me of the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland, “Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”
.-= Gia´s last blog ..Dream Home =-.

By: Libby

Libby — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:40:48 +0000

Oh, how I can relate to your angst. I remember when I was a vegetarian years ago and got so tangled up in wondering if I was causing suffering to – say – carrots, by uprooting them from the ground, that I resolved to become a “fruitarian” and eat only food that was “freely offered” by plants. Hmmm – a person can starve to death that way when one lives in a northern climate where the growing season is only 2-3 months long. A person can drive him/herself crazy by getting tangled up in guilty thoughts.

We’re only human. We do the best that we can. Some days we do better than other days.