- What are the things I will have trouble giving up?
- What am I willing to give up?
- What are the things I really do need?
- What is the most challenging carbon-intensive activity I have to deal with?
- Is it all about giving something up or redefining what I want?
Sometimes I ask myself, do I really even want things I buy or use. More often then not, the answer is no. For example, my friend is going for a coffee at break during class and asks if I want to go to, I say sure, but low and behold, I forgot my cup. Do I....
- grab a coffee anyway; it is only one more paper cup - no biggie right?
- grab a coffee anyway but buy another reusable cup to put it in at the same time (most coffee houses except Tim Hortons, this seems to be standard - reusable cups everywhere), I mean, I probably needed an extra cup or two right?
- decline and spend my break going over my notes in Quantitative Techniques?
- go along for the walk, but not buying coffee, using the time to enjoy conversation with my friend?
I have done all of these. And that might be okay too. Most of the time, I tote my cup along, but every once in awhile, I forget. Before anyone gets all radical on me spouting the evils of the coffee industry, carbon foot print and other such garblings. I know. I know too well. Coffee is one of my "vices". I admit it; I love coffee.
If there is one thing I have learned during No Impact Week, and perhaps well before it is that changing isn't easy. So many blogs, articles, news stories and conversation, are oriented around how easy reducing your impact is.
- It is so easy to recycle that can.
- It is so easy to tote a reusable cup.
- It is so easy to walk to the store.
- It is so easy to make homemade pizza.
- It is so easy to turn down the heat, turn off the lights, not run the water....
It is easy, making small changes. And even some of the big changes. However, not all changes are easy. Remembering isn't always easy. I remember when we were starting to carry reusable shopping bags - we often forgot and had a scenario like the above. Now we have a better system and have made it a permanent change. If we forget to bring a bag, we usually buy less, or use a box from the store or some other solution.
Sometimes we might need to take stock of the changes we have made and celebrate them. Sometimes they were hard. If you do get around to watching No Impact Man, think about how the changes you have made are doing good. Some have been hard. Some, like carrying a reusable cup, may not have global implications (water bottles are even better see OceanGybe) but small changes are likely the ones that stick and collectively they will make a big difference.
So many of the small changes we have been making have been poo-pooed as minute, ineffectual, insignificant. Such as Earth Hour. No one thinks that turning off a few lights for an hour is going to change anything through the reduced consumption - it is more about the collective action of all of us participating around the world, making a statement together that we are willing to make some changes and the conversations we have with our friends during Earth Hour. Many people have been organizing events and parties to get friends and family together over Earth Hour to use the time to have fun and learn to enjoy what a media-free, electricity-free evening offers all of us in turn of our quality of life.
Yes, our quality of life. So much we talk about this and what we mean is "we get to have stuff" - that is not the meaning of quality of life. Quality of life is the ability to feed, clothe and shelter yourself and family and have some leisure time to enjoy the richness of experience life has to offer. Quality of life might be seen in community volunteers, ability to go for a walk in a park or read a good book.
Quality of life does not mean spending four hours a day on the 401 hwy commuting to work so that you can have that big screen tv or second SUV. It is not putting your kids in extra activities to avoid actually interacting with them. It is not eating fast food, golfing everyday or wearing Prada.
One can have a high quality of life without raping the environment, or engaging in excessive consumerism.
So, No Impact Week I also spent a lot of time thinking about quality of life. Isn't that what we are all after? My two biggest self reflections for No Impact Week were about how to celebrate our successes and define what we really believe is our quality of life. If it isn't important to me - it can go. Cut it loose.
