Less Impact Person

Last night I watched the "No Impact Man" documentary. No Impact Man is Collin Beavin, a writer living in New York City, who decided to try to have zero net impact on the environment for one whole year. He kept a blog, which eventually turned into a book and a movie. It was his intention to write the book from the beginning - environmentalist critics opined that publicity for a book might trump his quest for clean living.

Whatever your outlook - the experiment was fascinating. Mostly, because it also involved his wife and toddler daughter. I could never go that far, but it's making me think. And that's exactly what Collin was hoping to get out of this (at least from the environmental altruistic side of things!). So I'm thinking about my baby steps to "less impact person".

Already we've switched out the light bulbs, use the programmable thermostat and have water aerators on the shower and the faucets. I use re-usable grocery bags (mostly...but I can get better at keeping some in the car for those unexpected stops).

As I was pondering my next steps, I realized just how often I get coffee in disposable cups. I'm so sad to admit, but I rarely carry my mug with me. If I get coffee AFTER I get to my office, I always use my own cup. But Brewed Awakenings is between where I park and my office. The cup is usually in my office.

So, my vows toward less impact:

• no more coffee in disposable cups - my own mug or no coffee
• less reliance on paper towels and more integration of cloth napkins
• begin searching for a tandem bike for Willa and I to commute to school/campus this spring
• as soon as the ground thaws, put up the collapsible clothes line that's been taking up space in the garage since last July

Baby steps. Baby steps.

My Life in Numbers

I'm working with the Advanced Journalism class on campus. We're exploring the creative and social nature of online content creation tools, and one of the tools we're using is Prezi. The assignment is to make a Prezi with the theme of "10 Things About Me". I'm impressed by the creativity the students have applied to their presentations.

Here's mine:

5472 = Lisa in Numbers on Prezi

Finally

After a several week slump, where it felt like we didn't see the sun at all, and every minute outdoors involved 12 layers and as little exposed skin as possible....it's 40 degrees. And rising.

I'm thrilled. I wore a fleece jacket today and little gloves. I dodged puddles and ignored the dirty, wet, garbage filled snowbanks. Predictions indicate potentials for even higher temps this week, so I'll pretend the snow banks are gone already.

I am trying to temper my enthusiasm, because I know it's only February and I know this can't last. But I will enjoy it while it does (and then go back to complaining when it's gone.)