Going Green

Tuesday of this week was Earth Day and on Sunday Fourth Church will observe Earth Sunday. At Senior Highs I will be leading a special worship service with an environmental theme.

As part of my own observance of Earth Day, and as part of a broader move on my part to be more environmentally friendly and financially frugal, I've been riding the CTA a lot more lately. I used to have something of a mental block on public transportation, because Hyde Park is not the most accessible neighborhood in the city. It takes 20-30 minutes for me to drive to work and 45-60 to take a combination of bus and train.

But, I've found that I enjoy time to read while I'm riding. It provides an opportunity to walk a little more than I would otherwise. And I think I'm less irritable and rushed when I don't have to drive, even though I have a pretty easy commute. The extra time it takes to do public transportation forces me to slow down my pace a little bit, which is definitely a good thing.

But my feeble attempt to make a difference, as earnest as it may be, is nothing compared to Colin Beavan. Maybe you've heard of this guy; he's been on the news a lot lately. He got tired of thinking about the environment but not doing anything about it. So he and his family have been undergoing a year long experiment to live as best they can without making an impact on the environment. You can read about this adventurous endeavor at his blog, No Impact Man.

Here is a short description of his experiment, taken from a page on the blog:

For one year, my wife, my 2-year-old daughter, my dog and I, while living in the middle of New York City, are attempting to live without making any net impact on the environment. In other words, no trash, no carbon emissions, no toxins in the water, no elevators, no subway, no products in packaging, no plastics, no air conditioning, no TV, no toilets…

Wow, you've got to admit that this is pretty cool...and maybe a little crazy too. I really respect Beavan and his family for making such a big commitment.

What if we all did this? What kind of difference could this make?

I wonder if I would be able to do it? What about you?