Collectively, small lifestyle changes can make a huge impact on the environment-and your life. Looking for happiness and health? What’s good for the environment is also, it turns out, great for you. Here’s a collection of tips from the No Impact community.
Do you have a video story from your No Impact Experiment? Share your story below:
Unfortunately, you gave hand washing a very bad name by doing it in the bathtub. Oh, my aching back!! I’ve been hand washing and line drying for two here in the frozen Tundra for almost 19 years and find it almost a spiritual experience. I have deep douhble-bowled kitchen sink where I place two 3-gallon white buckets trash picked from my neighor’s recycling bin. Works fabulously with no bending. In the winter I hang items to dry on a very large rack in the bathtub and a very narrow but tall rack in the shower stall. There are also removable tension rods near the tub area ceiling where I can look large items over until the drips stop and then transfer to racks in other rooms-all trash-picked and repaird. Shirts on hangers in doorways and I trash-picked a lovely hanging rack that holds about 18 pair of sox that can hang from a doorway also. Absolutely no big deal. For large items like bedding I use 18-gallon plastic bins that I trash picked on a sturdy bench outside the back door weather permitting. In the winter I change bedding just once a month because we take evening showers, but flip to the “clean sides” mid month. I have several sets (gotten cheap at garage sales) so I fold them up nicely and save them if the weather does not cooperate. I find this a joyous experience as I hate machinery that just breaks. Water is recyled to flush the toilet.
This post was submitted by Sandy.
One pack of organic seeds 1.99
yields at least 20lb of veggies
grow with stacking planters on your balcony, fire escape, in boxes out your sunny window or in your tiny yard - vertically.
We are urban farmers. Our friends always tell us - oh, I don’t have enough space, I live in a flat, condo etc. When I suggest I come over and help them start a veggie garden and we can do it all under $10 - they freak out a little.
Either I give them seeds or we get some, I help them build growing places out of reusable materials, we get free compost and mulch from the city.
I teach them how to soak, score, and plant their seeds. I teach them how to use “cloches” to make the most out of light and constant temperature - also conserving moisture.
Their seeds sprout, they use conservative watering methods like simple drip, reservoir, and semi-hydroponics.
They all of a sudden don’t have to buy herbs, tomatoes, strawberries, squash, watermelon, green beans, snap peas, artichokes, etc anymore.
With the money they save they can buy hardy fruit trees for the patio.
You can grow your own, no matter where you are - if you have some sunshine.
This post was submitted by allison burgueno.
My family has been practicing some of the things Colin did for a while.
We have had no tv in our house for the last 4 years. That was really hard for my husband. Now we read books every night to the kids.
We have been using cloth napkins for the last 7 years. My mom in law got a kick out of that.
We have never used paper towels. We use microfiber cloths for cleaning and there is no need to use chemicals with them. They work best when cleaning just with water.
Although we do use electricity we never turn on the a/c or the heater. We have heavy curtains and shutters.
We bought half a grass feed cow, locally. We dont by any meat (chicken, etc.. that is processed in a USDA plant). We also never eat out, but our TREAT, when we occasionally go out to eat is for sushi, but we bring along our organic soy sauce bottle along with us. (GMO soy sauce in every japanese restaurant in LA). This is when I feel we are a little coo-koo.
We bring lunch to work in stainless steel containers.
And now more recently, we bought a water distiller for the house, have sworn off plastic water bottles and use refillable water canteens for school and work.
This post was submitted by Irene Spiegel.
We were not ready to make the switch from razors with disposable blades to a straight razor. Fortunately we found a great item at www.lehmans.com that sharpens disposable razor blades making them useful almost endlessly. I was skeptical that it would work, but it really does. Now we can still shave using the razors we’re used to, but without the waste.
This post was submitted by Meghan.
I gave up regular shampoo for the year!(hopefully for life!) I started washing my hair with Dr Bronner’s once a week at the beginning of the year- the transition was a bit rocky (I wore a lot of ponytails and scarves the first 3-5 weeks hah) During lent used nothing but water to rinse my hair. This experiment when really, really well actually! I was so surprised! As long as I blow dried it it looked fine. Now I’m washing my hair once every two weeks with Dr Bronners and i don’t even have to blow it dry for it to look good (I’m glad because hair dryers can be unnecessary use of energy) I’m noticing some dandruff however, so starting in May I’m going to try out an apple vinegar rinse! This is supposed to be good for your scalp I love not using shampoo Now I smell like my homemade soap with out any fake chemical fruity smells in my hair! No shampoo is liberating and it makes the showers shorter!
This post was submitted by Margaret.