When I was young, I was part of a kids Earth group, cleaning up the creek behind my house and whatnot. That was about it for the next ten or so years. I’m a pretty avid consumer, but earth-friendly enough. I try to buy recycled things, non-sweatshop clothing, bamboo towels, that sort of thing. But after thinking lately and reading the news about polar bears dying, penguins starving and the wacky weather we’ve seen, I think I’m going to try. Try harder. Live as clean as possible.

Here’s my pledge: I’m going to eat local, buy nothing that is in any way painful to the earth, be simple. That means I can’t buy food that is in packaging or isn’t farmed 250 miles from here. Learn to do things for myself, to better myself and the environment. I’ve decided I don’t get anything new, unless it’s a necessity. I can use everything I have now, but when it runs out, I have to find something that has the least impact. And
I’ll allow myself $20 of wiggle room a week. I’d like to say that I’ll try to do my best ot reduce my car or other use, but I commute for work and I can’t change that. But I will try to not drive besides that. My roommate has a bike. I should use it.

Can I do this for say…three months? I hope so. Click through to the next page to read the rest of Kim’s eco-living plan.

It sounds a bit….altruistic, yes. In all honestly, I like a challenge, and this will be a new one. I think doing something good means challenging ourselves, because good isn’t always easy. My idea is not original. It’s been done as part of Green as a Thistle or No-Impact Man or the Fix Project. But the theory is that one person can make all the difference, is it not? That we all have to play our part in saving the world? That’s what they say. If we all stopped doing X or started doing Y, the world might be better for our children. I buy it. I don’t have kids, but I see where we’re all headed and it’s not good, so I’m going to try.

I just finished listening to an audiobook of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, a fantastical view of the future. In Atwood’s future, genetic modification has gone too far and the land is aching. Plants aren’t plants anymore and animals are just vessels for human transplant organs. It scared me. It wasn’t a “Mother Earth gets her revenge” type of future, but an entirely plausible future, like the one painted in Children of Men. What are we doing here?

So I sat down, and thought about this idea and it got bigger. Am I doing it right? I’m not sure. Is there some sort of other rule I should give myself? Maybe, you tell me. I’m not really sure it’s the end product I’m looking for here, but the journey. Let’s just hope it’s a good one. — Kim B.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 20th, 2007 at 9:32 am and is filed under living green. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.