No Impact Man book
This was the very catchy title of a talk given yesterday by the No Impact Man, Colin Beavan at NYU. I allowed my daughter to play hooky from school – half hooky, she had a half day – so she could come along and experience a college lecture. My daughter has a connection to the No Impact Man, she enjoyed the movie and did a report on the No Impact Man book for science back in 8th grade.
Mr. Beavan, The No Impact Man, is high up on my list of personal heros. These are the kinds of peeps I want my kids to know all about. He is a true activist: one who spurs others into meaningful action. His zero carbon quest which was chronicled in both the book and movie have evolved into really big things including lots of lesson plans for educators along with the “No Impact Experiment”– a one week carbon cleanse. His most recent adventure was running for a Congressional seat on the Green party ticket. His website, www.NoImpactProject.org is loaded with even more strategies and information on what you and your community can do to less harm to the planet. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a tree-hugging, bicycle-riding, canvas-bag-toting, eco-warrior to participate in the No Impact Project, come as you are and enjoy the ride.
First off, Colin explained the provocative title of his talk. As we all well know, we are in the middle of an environmental emergency. Part of the problem we face is that we are in a cultural conversation about “sustainability” but it is pitted against “progress”. What does progress mean, anyway? And do we want to sustain it? Is progress a better smart phone every year? Or a closet full of hip clothes from Forever 21? Is this what quality of life is? Are we HAPPY? Does progress make us happier? What does GDP have to do with happiness anyway?
The Sun Chips Compostable Bag
Here’s a great example. Pepsi came out with a compostable plastic bag for their Sun Chips. The corporation patted themselves on the back for being green, but is this really what sustainability is about? Is a compostable bag for junk food really meaningful progress? And as a side note, does it really compost? I tried in my bin and it didn’t work! On top of all of that, the bag was so noisy that Pepsi finally discontinued the bag!
Less bad does not equal more good.
This is true for sustainability, and for food too! Pepsi and other food corporations have been playing this game for a long time with their 100 calorie packs, Vitamin Water and much much more. One of my favorite examples of “less bad”not equaling more good is the Poland Spring water bottle.They brag that their eco-friendly shape “looks and feels different because it is purposely designed with an average of 30% less plastic to be easier on the environment.” There is nothing green about bottled water no matter what shape the bottle is!
We’ve gotten to a place where growth can no longer be the definition of success. You hear about growth every day in the news. GDP is the big number we measure. Somewhere along the line we mixed up growth and happiness. Growth and more money does not equal happiness. As a matter of fact, its been proven that once basic needs are met, economic gains do not contribute to life satisfaction. A home with 3 TVs is not at all happier than one with 2. Many of us are stuck in a treadmill of earning more money to get more stuff. Studies have shown that people who spend less and have less spent on them at Christmas actually enjoy the season more.
It was great for my kid to hear this information from someone other than me. We’re brainstorming to see how we could get our community to take on the No Impact Experiment and also find a way to have Colin Beavan come up and speak with high school students. He has much wisdom to impart to them.
