No Impact Man and the No Impact Week

I've blogged about "No Impact Man" Colin Beavan recently, but had I known what an exciting development was about to take place in his project, I would have waited. While it's been a while since Beavan and his family undertook the project of living a year in NYC with an ecological impact as close to nonexistent as possible, the project continues to make waves. This week, news and lifestyle megablog The Huffington Post announced a participatory project based on his no impact year. They're inviting readers to commit to a "No Impact Project" week, during which they will attempt to live as close to zero waste as possible.

Of course, it's just a week, and no one is expected to quit their jobs or make other sacrifices they don't feel ready for. According to the introductory article, a publication detailing various levels of participation will be released soon. In addition, there will be plenty of support, including a Facebook page and local networking resources.

So, why not make every week No Impact Week? It's a wonderful goal, but participating in a structured event like this may give people motivation and support to try new things. Who knows? Maybe it will lead to a No Impact Year for some, and a slightly more considered outlook for many.