I'm Baaaaaaack with No Impact!
Well, it's been quite a while since I have posted anything. But I have been quite busy. The next several entries will be to catch you up on what has been (and has not been) happening with Earthseed Detroit. For today, however, I am going to jump right into my thought stream and flow because a) obviously SOMETHING has me motivated, b) I've recommitted to writing, c) Mercury is in retrograde. (The last one may seem unrelated, but, as a Mercury ruled Gemini, retrogrades are an important "go with the flow" time. Not to side bar too much, but if you just can't resist a "WTF?" right now, here:
What is Mercury Retrograde and should I be afraid?
)
So, as I mentioned at the onset of this blog (a mere two entries ago, oh well.) It's about my personal awakenings and steps taken toward aligning myself and my life with my values and goals. And, if others are inspired to follow in my footsteps or blaze trails of their own, that's cool too.
Anyway, on to today. I am off work for a bit due to a herniated cervical disk. As a result, between ridiculously long drug-induced naps, I have been working on my visions boards, collages, journaling and reading, keeping my mind positively occupied until the days of bike riding, dancing and walking are back in the mix. I've also been indulging in television, lots of bullshit CSI, Cold Case and Letterman, but yesterday, in a fit of boredom, I clicked to ON DEMAND, confident that I would be imbued with the power to divert this mental energy into chick-flickdom and spend a nice 2 hours flatlining frustration. Well, I had just about given up on being able to "demand" anything of worth on the free movies, (Zombie Strippers? really?), I spotted
. I had subscribed to his blog a while back, but as you'll soon find out, I tend to be more a collector of infomation than a "doer", but we're working on that!!) So, the blog,
sat, nestled among
and the other 50 or so blogs I "follow", LOL. I decided to kick back and see what I could gather from this couple's year long adventure in living in such a way so as not to negatively impact the environment. I will say that the whole thing was put in perspective by the comments of one of the gentlemen in the movie, a local urban farmer I think, "If you think that your actions outweigh the fact that your wife leaves out every morning to write for Business Week, then you're delusional at best." Ouch. But true...maybe he can say it balances it out? or does it just underscore the paradox? The contradictions that are inherent in a society built on and based on inequities?
I am investigating my own paradox. And it takes a lot to share this because I think people may have an idea of me that's not accurate, an idea of me that I
like
them to have. The me I want to be. I want to be that me.
Takeaways from No Impact Man, adjusted somewhat to reflect my own variables:
Work on your trash, where does your trash come from?
Compost
Recycle
Food should come from no more than a 250 Mile radius
Bulk Food
Farmers Market
Garden
Organics
Eating good and Eating Local
Make the food chain visible
Go see how the animals are treated on the farms where you get your meat.
Buy no new clothes
inventory reduction
thrift store
No TV
Borrow, barter, share, or buy used
Walk, Bike, Bus
NO Fast Food, take out containers, Starbucks or Biggby
Buy from companies that are socially and environmentally responsible (same with restaurants)
Self-sufficiency
Cleaning products
Cosmetics/Toiletries (They also explored going without toilet paper, and switched to cloth diapers....hmmmm.)
what are alternatives?
No electricity: sunlight, candles, solar panels
Nigerian Pot in the Pot "fridge"
Did I tell you I was watching this movie with my Mom? She's 78, with active dementia, and a strong B. Smith gene that goes long back before it was the Food Network money maker that it is today. A while back, I tried to get things together for recycling (magazines, newspapers, boxes from packaged foodstuffs, etc.), she would roll around the house in her wheelchair exclaiming "Where is all this trash coming from?!" and would promptly throw it in the garbage despite my repeated attempts to mark it for "Recycling". She watched Colin fighting flies in the kitchen worm compost bin with a look of concern and disgust. I explained that he must have gotten some meat in the worm bin. She repiled, "uhhh, ok." I took that as an opportunity to explain to the best of my limited ability, what a worm bin is and how it works. I added, "we're going to be making some changes around here." She gave me her famous, "Yeah? Right!" look. So, I went on to explain all that we were already doing. That made me feel better because after watching Colin and Co. I was beginning to feel a bit sucky. She'll be ok, but I don't know if I'll be able to pry the Clorox Clean Up from her hands...
Things I/we already do:
Give experiential gifts
drink tap water, no bottled
use reusable grocery bags
buy local ground beef
shop at the thrift store
don't microwave in plastic or styrofoam
have swirly lightbulbs throughout the house
Things I/we do sometimes but not nearly enough of:
Buying local products
Eastern Market or other farmer's market
So, I'll end here. My focus for the first phase it becoming a locavore. Seeing just how local my kitchen can be. Since I will be out of commission for about a month, this will mainly consist of research, but I'll keep you posted!!
Peace!