Don't Tease The Planet

So there’s a bit of a buzz about the web regarding this “No Impact Week.” I feel irresponsible not mentioning it but rather than advertising it, I’d like to discuss how one can actually survive a no impact week. I mean talk about trying to reduce and offset your carbon footprint. A week without a carbon footprint seems nearly impossible but is it?

And if it is possible, is it sustainable?

Well, a little background. The concept of “No Impact Week” is based on the year Colin Beavan and his family went “off the grid” and lived without creating little to no impact on the planet. The week is a personal experiment is trying to live a better life, make permanent behavioral changes and engage (if you haven’t already) the whole idea of reducing your carbon impact.

So what do you do? Well, you register, get the how to be greener manual and try and make it a whole seven days without cracking under the pressure of being a better planetary steward. Its sad that we need to have such a week. And I know a week of less impact will help the planet, but how do you stop everyone from over compensating the week after?

Seems to me that a sustainable sustainability project to reduce your carbon footprint should be about making small changes as often as possible and slowly building up to a permanent lifestyle change. One week of “trying” to save the planet is like one week of trying to go on a diet: you lose a little weight but the donuts you eat the week after will quickly put that water weight right back on.

The idea behind the week is great: getting people involved in the lower carbon lifestyle. Keeping them in it will be the problem. It doesn’t seem long enough for people to really understand the positive benefits of reducing their carbon footprint. Personally, it would be better to buy a week’s worth of carbon credits and make one permanent change. Not for a day or a week so you can write a blog about it but a permanent change that will help you your planet and your pocket book.

If you reduce your car use, walk when possible, recycle or buy sustainable products, reduce your waste, reuse everything in your home and cut down on wasted energy use, you can really have an impact on the planet. But please, don’t just do it for a week.

Reminds me of that commercial about seasonal pets. I guess it would be: a planet’s for life not just for a week in October.