Sunday…
The class has been challenged to participate in a no impact experiment based upon the works of Colin Beavan. The goal of the experiment is to lower our consumption and subsequent waste for seven days based on provided guidelines. The experiment dubs itself “a one-week carbon cleanse.”
Although apprehensive about the experiment at first, I was quickly put at ease after reading the introduction and steps and challenges for the first day. I like that the pace of the experiment is left to the individual participating and the promise of saving money, loosing weight, having more time, and living healthily and happily is rather alluring.
Sunday’s theme was consumption, specifically trying to stretch out what we have and make more efficient long term use of it. I was to exam my purchasing habits and waste production.
Stuff I “need” to buy this week
• Groceries
• Train Tickets
• Social Leisure ( trip to the movies, drinks, etc)
• House hold items (dishwasher soap, bleach, etc)
• Hair cut
The experiment called for us to begin to collect our trash and carry it around with us, this experiment carried on into Monday.
Monday….
The theme for today is trash, after carrying around my bag of rubbish yesterday I am happy to complete the steps for today. (I noted that despite explaining that you are carrying around garbage for an environmental experiment, your friends will still not appreciate you bringing it to their house…)
I dumped out the trash that I collected on Sunday and throughout Monday, very quickly two types of trash stood out: food containers/wrappers and paper trash. I am going to try when grocery shopping to be conscious of what the food I buy is sold in and try to minimize this waste, because seeing the amount I collected after less than two days has left me rather shocked.
In an effort to try and get myself more actively involved in the experiment I took the challenge of trash minimizing seriously. As a result I have recycled my plastic and glass bottles for this week, instead of throwing them into the trash as I normally do, and I am going to try to give away/ donate a pile of clothing that I had considered just binning. I am happy with these steps but will have to develop a strategy toward food packaging waste which seems to be building up despite my efforts.
5 Things that I am grateful for
• My family
• My friends
• My bed
• My shower
• The local grocery store
Tuesday….
The theme for today is transportation; I am feeling confident about this part of the experiment as my living environment means that I rarely need to travel by car. I recently purchased a bicycle and that has become my primary means of transport, however toward the end of this week I will need to travel by train quite a few times. There is nothing that I can do to minimize this travel, but I am happy that it is by public transport thus lessening the negative impact, compared to driving a personal vehicle.
What I ate today: (feeding into tomorrows experiment)
• Asparagus Soup (from packet-made at home, purchased at grocery store)
• Pasta (made at home, purchased at grocery store)
• Grilled chicken dish, green salad, and potatoes ( purchased at a restaurant)
Today proved to be quite easy as my life in Europe has moved me away from the use of a personal vehicle. However, thinking about how I would have managed this challenge where I lived formally, in the US, is another story. I doubt I would have been as successful.
Thinks I am grateful for:
• My family
• My Kitchen
• The City I live in
• My bike
• My friends
-Becky
The Culture of Consumption 