Getting Ready for No Impact Week Experiment.

The No Impact Experiment (you can link to it from http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/) starts tomorrow.
I'm gearing up.
Each day the organizers have set up a challenge for cutting back on one's impact on the planet. While this may not interest many, I find that the goals are generally in line with simplicity and frugality as well as moving towards obviating the need for war. If we got by on what we have each in our own areas, then we wouldn't need to blow each other up to take each other's crap.

So, Sunday's focus is consumption.
The tasks for the day (I like it when there are specific tasks and things) include making a list of things that one may need to buy during the week and get a bag for all of the waste, garbage, recyclables, food scraps and anything else that one might "throw out" or "recycle" during the day. The other tasks involve really refining these first two.

They recommend going through the list of things that one "needs" to buy and figuring out which can be put off until a later time...for me that covers everything but gas and food and even some food can be put off. Then, what can be gotten second hand, and/or local, and/or free, or made oneself. Or perhaps one already owns something that will work for the item that "needs" to be purchased.
Since I've gone a year not purchasing any new clothes other than undies I think I'll be fine. And if I skip the trip to goodwill (other than to drop things off) I won't be tempted to buy anything. I really don't need to buy anything this week. There are some things I'd "like" to buy, but nothing I really need.

Then, with the bag of garbage and recyclables, that's just to get ready for Monday. So, will have to wait for that.

They also want participants to log on each night and blog about the experience and do a survey. I'm not sure I'll be doing that. Possibly the survey, but I already have a blog so it would seem redundant to write again over there.

And of course using the internet has a pretty big impact on the planet. The servers that make the internet run use power and need to be kept at certain temperatures. They need buildings to be in and need to be connected to the other servers and people make the power to run them, make the buildings, maintain the servers and on and on. Someone once figured out how much power we waste surfing the internet. I must not want to know because I can't remember.

Anyway, I'm going to be trying a few things this week. I will have to see if I slip up and buy something I don't need. It's easier to not buy if I just don't go shopping. AND, I can use that time more productively by sorting out my crap. I probably have plenty of crap that could fill any need I have. I have a lot of crap.