Sunday - Day 1: Consumption

Day 1 of the 'No Impact' experiment is designed to get us thinking about our consumption patterns.

Is it possible to do more with less?  

Here are my instructions for the day, taken from http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/your-how-to-guide/:

Steps:

1. Type up a list of all the stuff you “need” to buy this week.  Delete the items that you can live without for the week. For the rest of the items, figure out if you can purchase them second-hand, borrow them, or make them yourself.

2. Put an empty re-usable bag in a private place at home. Throughout the day, fill it up with all of your trash, recyclables, and food waste. If you’re out of the house, carry your trash home with you. Make sure that nobody else’s trash gets in there but your own.
This will help you get ready for Monday’s challenge.

3. Just for this week, try not to shop for new items.  Will you find something better to do with your time and money?  Could you use this time to spend with friends instead?

Ok so the only things on my list of essential items to buy this week are some bike lights for my new bike.

I bought these new on Sunday as I want to start using my bike to get home from work in the early hours of the morning. On reflection it may have been possible to search around and to buy them second hand but I am impatient to get riding asap.

What's in my trash-bag? So far it is mainly full of food scraps and female sanitary products as well as the packaging from the bike lights. Both the food scraps and the tampons could be eliminated if I overcome my inaction on composting and look into buying a menstrual cup such as the mooncup or DivaCup . There was no way around the bike light packaging as I bought them new.

Most weeks I don't buy very much apart from food, personal hygiene and household products. 

I have been increasingly aware of my spending habits over the last few years and try to be mindful of what is motivating me to buy something new. I ask myself: Do I need the product and think it is good quality and value or is buying it serving another need?

I have particularly downsized over the last year as I spent most of 2009 travelling overseas. Carrying my entire life on my back for 8 months really helped me rationalise the essential items from the non-essential. 

Even so, I could be far more mindful of where my food comes from, and of the chemicals that are in my personal and household products.

I think the challenge for me this week will be to seek out locally produced food and products with no packaging, while also thinking about making my own cleaning and personal care products.

Monday - Day 2: Trash

Here are my instructions for the day:

Steps:

1. Empty your special trash bag from yesterday. Separate the items into two piles: stuff that you used for more than ten minutes, and stuff you used for less than ten minutes. How does this make you feel? (Now put everything back in the bag and put it aside for the week.)

2. Put together a no-trash travel kit for the week with a reusable drinking receptacle for hot and cold liquids, a handkerchief/old t-shirt, Tupperware®, utensils, and reusable produce bags.

3. Stop making trash. Reduce it. Reuse it. Recycle it.  Just don’t throw it away. Keep a special bag at home or the office to collect trash you make by mistake or necessity throughout the week.

Thoughts from today:

As I am emptying my trash bag from yesterday I am not so much stuck by how long I used each item for, but that the majority of my ‘trash’ is food scraps. I am feeling very guilty indeed about not having a compost bin of some description and promise myself to get one asap.

The other major concern in my rubbish bin is a number of plastic bags. Though they have been used at least twice by the time they make it to the bin they still seem like a waste. They are bags that have been used the carry home groceries when I didn't take enough green bags to the supermarket. They have then been reused to store food in the fridge. I chuck them once they are a bit manky. Should I be washing them so that I can reuse them, like I use to watch my grandparents do? I resolve to use re-usable containers to store left over vege etc… in the fridge and only buy what can fit in my green bags when I go shopping.

When I go shopping tomorrow I plan to buy from a food co-op to avoid packaging but what about the packaged food I already have in the house? I don’t feel so bad about things wrapped in paper- as it can be recycled, or in glass, as I can reuse the containers. So many things come in plastic thought: cheese, pasta etc… I guess the only way around this is to shop at a food co-op or market/ farmers market where you can bring your own containers.  

Also, since I’ve got a head cold and have be blowing my nose on toilet paper I go searching for the hankies that have not seen the light of day since I was a child. I have held onto them because of sentimental value but one is now living in my pocket.

What’s in my no-trash travel kit? I already use a re-usable aluminum drink bottle, tick. As I work nights and only get a 15min break I generally take a snack with me in a Tupperware container, tick. However, when I don’t, I sometimes buy something from the vending machine. This is definitely out. Also at work I find myself using a straw in my drink without even thinking. Oops; something to be mindful of for the rest of the week. A new addition to my kit: an old tea-towel as a replacement to paper towels to wipe my hands on while I’m out and about.

A few more thoughts:

I think with all these little things: straws, paper towels, tissues, paper plates and napkins, they are convenient, but they are not essential. There are alternatives that do the job just as well and use far fewer planetary resources. It is very much about behavioral change at an individual and a societal level. For example I don’t need to use a straw it is just an ingrained habit that I need to be mindful of if I am to break it.  

Tuesday - Day 3: Transporation

Here are my instructions for the day:  

Steps:

1. Take stock of your habits: make a list of everywhere you’re going today and how you usually get there. What alternative modes of transportation could you use instead? Map out your new routes. Log onto your local transit authority’s website for an online trip planner. Pick up a bus schedule and your gym shoes, and plan ahead.

2. Throughout the day, keep a list of everything you eat, where you eat and where you purchase your food. This will help you get ready for Wednesday's challenge.

3. GO! Bike. Walk. Scoot. Glide. Hop on the bus. Carpool.

Today’s challenge is not a big step away from my usual schedule. As I have lived in the inner city most of my life, have never owned a car and indeed don’t have a license, I am already well versed in navigating Sydney’s public transport system. As I start work at around 7pm I take a bus against the traffic, which only takes about 30mins.

However, because I finish in the early hours of the morning, more often than not, I take a taxi home. This is not only less than ideal environmentally it is also hurting my wallet. So last week I bought a bicycle for the exact purpose of commuting home. I figured the bike would pay for itself in only a few months and I would be getting fit- no need for a gym membership!

So on Monday night I take the train into the city and then biked home through the almost-deserted city streets in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The trip took half an hour, which is the same amount of time it takes me to get into the city on the bus. Plus, it can only get quicker as my fitness improves.

Late on Tuesday afternoon I bike over to my local food co-op, Alfalfa House  about 10mins away. Though I have been aware of this place for ages, it just hasn’t been routine for me to shop there. I organise myself before-hand, making sure I have enough containers and calico bags. I buy a few bits and pieces to add to what needs to be used up at home. I want green beans but there are none at the co-op and I haven’t checked if they are in season so I decide not to get them from a near by fruit shop.

Despite my concerns about buying in season, once home I realise I have bought Yerba Mate from Argentina and Quinoa from Bolivia. Both of which are definitely not local! Plus the tofo is packaged in plastic. Another oops!

I am a little worried about Day 4 - Food!

Wednesday - Day 4: Food

Instructions for the day:

1. Take your food list from yesterday and calculate your carbon “foodprint.” Did you eat anything grown within 250 miles?. Chose five items from yesterday that were not produced locally and try swapping them out for items that are produced locally.

2. For this week define your own limits. Will you only buy food grown within 100 miles of your home, or food only grown in the U.S. (Oz in our case)? Will you give up beef or try veganism? Since you aren’t consuming packaged products (which create trash), your choices may be easier than you think.

3. Dig in! Bicycle to a farmers’ market. Learn some new recipes. Invite friends over for a potluck. Keep track of your food choices. Ask yourself throughout the day: what are the most challenging aspects of adjusting your food habits?

Wow, today’s challenge is challenging! I have no idea how far most of my food has travelled to get to me.

Ok for examples here are a few staples:

1. The coffee I brew at home every day (without fail!) is an Italian brand but I have no idea where the beans come from.

2. Sometimes I bake my own bread, which is much easier to do than most people think, but otherwise I buy Australian bread from the supermarket rather than a baker

3. Fruit and vege – I buy this at a fruit market rather than the supermarket because I enjoy the shopping experience more and I assume the farmers get a better deal, but I don’t really know!

4. I buy Australia full-cream milk but am not sure how far it travels.

Umm, what I am taking out of today’s challenge is that because this information is not made readily available to us, we need to start asking questions. I suppose this is where the living local part comes in. You need to build a relationship with the people who produce your food. I think this is easier to do with local producers at a farmers market or at a food co-op where the produce is labeled with its origin and organic status.

It is so strange that we have become alienated from the origin of something as fundamental to human life as food.

I have discussed food choices with friends quite a bit over the last two years. I think there are so many concerns: organic, fair-trade, free-range, animal welfare, overfishing.

It is easy to become overwhelmed and say that it is all too hard, but I think that we all need to make small steps to start asking where and how what we eat is produced and do we feel good about the answers to those questions? If the answers make you uncomfortable you should align your choices and your dollar with products and practices that you support. 

Anyway, here is what I am going to put my efforts into:

1. Making more things from scratch like bread, pasta sauce, pesto and dips from local ingredients to avoid packaging and try and reduce my ‘food miles’

2. Become a member of my local food co-op Alfalfa House and shop there on a regular basis. Then find recipes that fit the ingredients that are in season, rather than the other way around

3. Check out my local farmers markets 

4. Grow my own (below is a picture of some baby lettuce my housemate planted the other day)  

Day 5 - Thursday: Energy

Instructions for today:

1. Assess current energy consumption habits. Walk from room to room in your home. List everything in each room that uses energy to operate (i.e., electricity, oil, gas, batteries). Put a star next to any item that you would ordinarily use in the remaining four days of your No Impact Experiment.

2. Next to each starred item, indicate if you are going to ELIMINATE or MITIGATE your usage of that item. Not sure how to live without your fill in the blank? Brain-storm and spark a conversation with others Online.

3. Unplug! Turn it off. Power down. Go off the grid. For the truly adventurous, turn off your electricity completely and see what happens.

Sorry my posts are all late for the end of ‘No Impact’ week. A head-cold and work have kept me from blogging daily.

Here is my list of the main electronic items that I use every day:

• Computer: 2 - 4 hrs
• Radio/ Stereo: 2 – 4 hrs  
• TV: 1 - 2 hrs
• Mobile phone needs changing every couple of days: about 1 hour
• Microwave: 10mins a week  
• Lights
• Fridge
• Washing Machine: 3 - 4 times a week (between 2 people)
• Dishwasher: 3- 4 times a week (also between 2 ppl)

Cooking:

• Gas stove top: everyday  
• Electric oven: 2- 3 times a week

Gas hot water service

Which items can I MITIGATE or ELIMINATE my use of?

I can mitigate my use of the computer. I CAN! (I have to repeat this to myself).

I have a lot of friend overseas so I use the computer every day to keep in touch. I also use it to do work for the two volunteer orgs that I work for. Both are good reasons for me to be plugged in and online. However, I could spend less time cruising around facebook and the like. I pledge to try!

I can also mitigate my use of the radio/ stereo. I decide if I’m not in the room listening to it, it shouldn’t be on.

I will eliminate the TV. I don’t use it for much apart from playing DVDs and watching news and current affairs programs anyway. For the rest of the week I will have to seek my news online or via the newspapers.

I will eliminate the microwave.

In terms of my lighting, I am committing to having only one light on at a time.

I don’t really have the option of turning the fridge off as I live with a friend, and it is her place.

To mitigate my use of the washing machine I have decided to wear my clothes more, rather than chucking them in the washing pile after just one wear (unless they are really gross of course). We don’t have a clothes dryer so everything goes on the outside line.

In terms of cooking, raw salads are a great option as it is summer and they use far less energy for cooking than many other meals. I will look into expanding my repertoire.  

Day 6 - Friday: Water

Instructions for today: 

1. Assess your current water habits from the moment you hit the snooze button until bedtime. Calculate your approximate water footprint and figure out the water footprint of your food here.

2. Create a list of the water you will likely consume today (not exact measurements, just general usage). Think about where you use water: at home, at work, church or school, on the go, and eating out. This will help you think about how you use water.

3. BEGIN! Turn off the faucet. Run the water gently when needed. Soak the dishes. Sponge -bathe.

In the bathroom

I was given a 4 minute shower timer at Christmas. This has really helped me to keep track of how long I am in there. Taking long showers used to be one of my guilty pleasures.

I am now finding that with the timer, more often than not, my shower is less than 4mins. Which I feel great about! And the truth is I don’t miss the long showers. I know I will need more will power once winter sets in as a warm shower is a hard place to leave for a cold bathroom. 

With the toilet I am in the habit of not flushing every time. It just seems like such a waste of water. I like Vaike’s idea of having a bucket in the shower and then using that water to flush the toilet.

In the kitchen

I am pretty mindless about re-using the same cup and usually have about 3 mugs/glasses on the go. Since the begging of this week I have been conscious of re-using the same mug all day. Less mugs/glasses = less dishwasher cycles or time spent washing up. 

Also, I usually tip my cooking water down the drain, but this week I have started to use it to water the plants.

It is really good to be made aware of this ingrained behaviour of wastefulness. I would never leave a tap running but before now didn’t blink at pouring perfectly good water down the sink.

Cleaning products

I have been buying ‘green’ cleaning products for a while now but thought that it would be good to go one step further and try the old fashioned baking soda and vinegar.

So on the Monday following my ‘No Impact’ week challenge I head into the bathroom armed with a pack of baking soda and an old kitchen scourer. The results: not quite the same sparkle as usual but a pretty good clean.

In the laundry

As we use ‘grey water’ safe clothes washing liquid the friend I live with has connected a hose to the washing machine which means the water goes straight onto the lawn and grownd cover.

Day 7 - Saturday: Giving Back

Instructions:

1. Make a list of all the ways you contribute to your community now. Do you watch your neighbor’s kids for free? When’s the last time you held open a door for a stranger? Do you write checks to charity or volunteer on occasion? How can you step up what you’re already doing and do more?

2. Make a list with three columns: 1) all the charities you’d love to help out, 2) why you feel you can’t, and 3) how you can address and remove those barriers. Do your barriers — as legitimate as they may seem to you — outweigh the importance of participating? Remember: you needn’t become an “activist” or even a leader to be active in your community! Simply participating in an ongoing project is giving back and living your values.

3. Practice what you preach. Give. Do. Help. Change. In other words, sign up today to volunteer for a local environmental cause.

I contribute my time on an ongoing basis to two not-for-profit orgs a week. Live local being one and the other an indigenous rights campaign group. Between both orgs I give, in an average week, 1.5 days. For the time being this is all I can manage.

I am in an advantageous position as I only work about 25-30 paid hours a week and don’t have a mortgage or kids to look after. However, you don’t have to give a day. An hour a week can made a positive change to the lives of people in your community - and to your own life :). 

I think that Colin Beavan's advice (Colin being the creator of 'No Impact' week) to write down what orgs you would like to be involved in and how you can overcome the barriers that are holding you back is great advice. 

It is important to pick something that you are really passionate about or think you will enjoy and then get involved, with however much time you have, and see how it goes.

I find that working together with people that have a common goal and are passionate about what they do is really energising.

Day 8 - Sunday: Eco- Sabbath

Instructions for today

Steps:

1. How do you usually spend your day off? Consider how different —    if at all — this day will be.

2. Plan your day: how do you need to prepare for a day in which you don’t use any of your appliances, electronics, motorized transport, or money? You may wish to make plans in advance to share your Eco-Sabbath with others. Click

here for ideas of how you can celebrate your Eco-Sabbath.

3. Stop everything.

4. At the end of the day don’t track your impact! Be-cause this is your day to relax, refect, and unplug, don’t worry about sharing your experience with the rest of us. Keep this one for yourself.

5. Remember the bag of trash you collected last Sun-day? At the end of the day, take that bag out and empty the contents. Now take the other bag of trash “mistakes” that you’ve been collecting throughout the week and empty the contents. By being consci-entious this week about reducing your trash, did you create more or less trash since Monday than you did last Sunday?