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Colin Beavan's No Impact Man Project was an experiment to see if he and his family could spend one full year making a zero net impact on the planet. From cycling everywhere to eating locally to reducing energy use, they worked hard to eliminate their carbon footprint. Recently, a documentary on the project was released, and now you can take part in No Impact Week - eight days of zero impact on the planet.
The Huffington Post has linked up with the No Impact Man Project to come up with No Impact Week. The No Impact Project will host community forums for sharing experiences and best practices on its website, NoImpactProject.org, and HuffPost will highlight and feature stories, pictures and video submitted to both sites. Beavan will host live webcasts during No Impact Week in which he'll answer questions posed by HuffPost's community.
Why should I take part in the No Impact Experiment?
There are a few reasons why being part of this 8-day go at no impact is important. The biggest reason is that Americans have an incredibly large carbon footprints that are unsustainable if we want the planet to have much of a future. Most experts say a sustainable carbon footprint is 2 tons per year. In other words, if all of us lived a life in which each of us is responsible for just 2 tons of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere annually, we would see a drop in the dangerously high levels of CO2 in the atmosphere that are accelerating global warming and acidifying our oceans. However, Americans have a carbon footprint of - brace yourself - 20 tons per year. We have a lot of work to do to get down to sustainable levels. Participating in 8 days of learning how to reduce our impact is an excellent place to start!
Is it even possible to make no impact on the planet?
It might seem impossible to make no impact whatsoever on the planet. And in fact, it is impossible. That's where the keyword "net" comes into play. It is possible to nix carbon intensive habits and boost carbon negative habits - including carbon offsets - so that your net impact is zero. That's the core of the No Impact Experiment.
How to take part in the No Impact Experiment
No Impact Week will feature a daily regimen for you to follow so that you can more easily sink into what it takes to have zero net impact every day. For instance, Day 1 focuses on reducing consumption, Day 2 on reducing trash, Day 3 on commuting without adding carbon to the environment
The guide available at NoImpactProject.org will allow you to tailor the program to your lifestyle and where you live. You can also find loads of resources here on Planet Green in our How to Go Green Guides, as well as our daily posts.
In addition to all the resources on Planet Green, No Impact Week partner Huffington Post has its bloggers participating and blogging about their experience, and HuffPost's Eyes & Ears will encourage the HuffPost community to share their stories, pictures and videos so you can get the support of an entire community of people working to reduce their impact to zero.
No Impact Experiment Starts October 18, 2009
Getting your impact truly down to zero takes a lot of commitment and making some big changes, as evidenced in the documentary No Impact Man. But, it is doable and can be a lot of fun as well as an excellent learning experience. Starting out with an 8-day experiment, along with a big community of fellow No Impact-ers is the perfect way to dive in! So head over to No Impact Project, check out the details, and ramp up for October 18th!
More on Reducing Your Environmental Footprint
Your Ecological Footprint: Defining, Calculating, and Reducing Your Environmental Footprint
Your Carbon Footprint: Calculating, Reducing and Offsetting Your Impact
The Best Sites to Calculate the Environmental Impact of Your Life
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint by Half in Three Steps
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