There's a little experiment going on in New York City near Washington Square Park. Colin Beavan, his wife Michelle, their two-year-old daughter Isabella and dog Frankie are trying to live a no impact lifestyle.
What began in November 2006 as a one week trial run turned into a year long experiment phased in through different stages along the way. Some think he's crazy for getting rid of toilet paper or not taking the elevator, but it turns out that along with the sacrifices have come great rewards.
I spoke with No Impact Man, Colin Beavan, a few weeks ago via phone.
Green Options: Why are you calling this an experiment?
Colin Beavan: The idea is that we're tying to make no net environmental impact. Now, I know that you can't make no net environmental impact, that's impossible, but if you're not sticking to strict math, the idea is that we will reduce our negative impact as much as possible and then increase our positive impact. Really the whole point is that we cause as little harm as we can and try and do more good for the planet, too, so ultimately our being alive is, hopefully, at least not bad for the planet.
The reason why it is an experiment is because it is drastic. The idea is that we're experiencing a full range of things that one can do to reduce their negative impact, including not using elevators, not using public transportation – even though I completely support public transportation – but we're not using it. We try not to use anything that creates toxins or carbon and to see what it would feel like. So having experienced all the things we felt we could do, at the end the results will be to see what can we practically hold on to in our lives.
GO: What are some of the things you think you will be able to keep up afterward?
CB: I think the main thing that we'll let go of is the strictness. For example, when it was snowing, Michelle would still either ride her push scooter or walk to work, even though it wasn't really practical to do so. And that was just for the sake of the experiment. Or if for some reason I miss the farmers market and can't buy my food local, I don't go to D'Agastinos [the grocery store] at the moment. So if it turns out that for two days all we have is potatoes then that's all we eat for a couple of days.
But most of the stuff that we're doing I think we'd hang on to. Although it is hypothetical to say what will happen at the end of the year, I think this experiment has changed the course of our lives. It is the way we want to live. Our friends used to think the experiment was about austerity and about giving up so much, but the fact of the matter is we're gaining so much. The lifestyle changes that the experiment has caused us to make are actually making us feel better and happier.
GO: What are some of the biggest surprises so far?
CB: The change of rhythm. Whether hopping in taxis or talking on your cell phone, everything is a big rush. Even on a Saturday, which is supposed to be one of the rest days, you're like okay, I'll have brunch with you at ten, and then I'll head up to the MoMa at noon, and then some friends are having a party for the kids at three, and then you guys are having a dinner at seven.
We just can't move that fast on our bikes and by walking. At first you think you're losing out, but on a weekend day basically we can do one big thing and we savor it much more. That was kind of surprising to me.
GO: Many comments on your blog have been very supportive, but on occasion you'll get some angry comments. Why do you think that is?
CB: I think sometimes people are mad because they think i'm trying to tell everybody else what to do but i'm really not.
One thing that's important about No Impact Man is that it is an experiment that we are doing. I'm not suggesting that anybody else does what we are doing. I'm just saying this is what we're doing.
I think all of us can do what we can do. People who live in the countryside or the suburbs may not be able to drive less. I'm in a fortunate position of not having to use a car. I'm not out there saying, "Don't use your car," but my hope is that maybe the project will cause people to think about their own lives and not ask themselves if they can do what I'm doing, but look at their own lives and ask "What can I do? How would I be happy to contribute to the planet's well-being?"
I support people who are trying to make a difference. Maybe they can't be no impact, but I support people that are making an effort. For the sake of the project I eat local and seasonal, but there is one stand at the farmers market that grows greens in a greenhouse. They're converting their green houses to biodiesel, which is not perfect but they're making the effort. So, I can buy from them because I support what they're doing.
GO: I really like something you said on your blog: "Saving this planet depends on finding a middle path that is neither unconsciously consumerist nor self consciously anti-materialist." Can you explain that?
CB: My favorite model is something that Bill McDonough talks about in Cradle to Cradle. He talks about a tribe called Menomonie, and they harvest lumber. In 1900 there was a certain amount of harvestable trees. Now they have the same amount of land, but they have a lot more harvestable lumber, and meanwhile they've also harvested a whole bunch of lumber. They had so much, they took a lot of it, but they still have more than they started with. The reason why they did that is because instead of taking what they wanted from the forest, they took what the forest had to offer.
I'm not saying we shouldn't have any fun, but we should look at it as, instead of just taking what I want from the planet, saying, what does the planet have to offer? What can it offer with me without it hurting itself? How can i be a good guest?
Don't forget, I'm just a schlub. I'm not an expert. I make mistakes. I'm trying to figure it out as i go along. Chances are I'll make some wrong choices but that's part of the project because so many of us have no idea what to do.
GO: Well that's part of the process, right? Making up the rules as you go along? You've done it in stages which seems to make sense so far.
CB: What I do is research and I see what other people have done in a particular area. We've looked at transportation. We've looked at making trash. We've looked at sustainable consumption. We eat local. And then soon all the stages will be complete then we'll just be living it for the last six months of the project.
GO: Are you glad that you chose to do this?
CB: I am so happy. I am so lucky because not so many people are in the really fortunate position where what they do for a living and their deepest personal concerns can come together in one place.
I think the important thing is i'm not trying to set myself up as an expert telling other people what to do. What I am doing is an experiement and seeing what i can do with my own life. And my secret motive is that everybody will take stock of their own lives and see what they can do, but I'm not suggesting they should do what i do. I'm suggesting they should do what they can do.
Sunday Colin plunged his family into darkness as they turned off their power. Now he is just using a solar charger to power his computer. Follow along over the next six months of the experiment at the No Impact Man blog. (And check out one of my favorite No Impact Blog entries to date. It involves Isabella, rain and enjoying the little things in life.)
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