No Impact Man is a story about Colin Beavan who decides for one year to eliminate his personal impact and change he and his family’s lifestyle to be more green. They makes some hard sacrifices such as giving up electricity for 6 months, no elevators, toilet paper or cars. The first reaction seems extreme, but through his chronicles you realize that humans have a great capacity for adjustment. His wife, Michelle, initially struggled although she was supportive of the project. At the end you clearly see she is happier, they have improved communications and really became a convert for the lifestyle.
Another great chronicle of how living life sustainably doesn’t have to be hard, it is just different. A big payoff is the money savings but more than that you see a family who enjoys each other and life again.
Annie Leonard, the producer of the Story of Stuff, just launched a new video called The Story of Bottled Water . This short video focuses on the bottled water industry marketing campaign to make us believe that tap water is ‘not healthy’ and also explains the environmental impact of bottled water. If you haven’t yet learned about the affects of the bottled water industry, this is an easy, short and enjoyable short video to watch.
Andrew Winston, author of Green to Gold, has a new book out called the Green Recovery. In his new book he offers a case for why businesses should use this ‘recession’ time to create a green strategy. He cites a number of success stories from Fortune 500 companies such as Wal-Mart, Disney, Microsoft, Toyota and others. The book is short and easy to read. Great book for managers and business owners who haven’t yet started a green and sustainability strategy. Here are a few of Andrew’s recommendations cited in his book:
Start with the cheapest option and encourage behavior change from employees such as turning off lights and computers and reducing waste in the office.
Automate when possible. If the behavior change is too difficult or cumbersome, automate the process such as with light sensors.
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Review what other companies and competitors are doing. Go to Share Green for a free list of best practices.
Provide data to employees. Tracking and sharing data to employees has proven to have strong affect.
Be Innovative. The companies that move to solve the world’s problems will be prepared for the future.
Engage your employees. Give employees a base of knowledge on environmental issues and their implications for the business and their personal life.
Google just added to their Google Maps a way to search for directions via bike. Just go to Google Maps and click on ‘Bicycling Directions” or ‘Bike There’ link. This new service shows you options to get from one location to another via bike paths in that area. This was a joint effort with multiple bicycle organizations including Rails to Trails Conservancy that support about 12,000 miles of bike trails.
This is a great link to share with friends and colleagues who would like to bike but not sure the best route to take that is safe and on designated trails.
A new resource has arrived in Denver. Green Route Denver is a map that showcases businesses and organizations that are green. The map is distributed in downtown Denver retail locations and also available via PDF download on their site.
The organization also offers guided tours of organizations. See website for more details.
Starting to wonder how much impact all that work travel is having? The average American commutes 20 miles a day, that’s about 5,000 miles a year, resulting in just over 2 tons of CO2.
Consider purchasing carbon offsets to counteract the carbon dioxide emissions of driving or flying home to meetings and conferences. A carbon offset for the entire year’s worth of commuting emissions could cost as little as $45. According to the Colorado Carbon Fund, a Carbon Offset means “neutralize,” “balance,” or “cancel out.” Carbon offsets counteract these activities by funding projects to compensate for CO2 emissions occurring at another source. These offsets help fund projects that reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Though there are many organizations that offer Carbon Offsets, the Colorado Carbon Fund and Aspen’s Canary Tags are two great providers that use the proceeds for projects in Colorado.
No Impact Man is a story about Colin Beavan who decides for one year to eliminate his personal impact and change he and his family’s lifestyle to be more green. They makes some hard sacrifices such as giving up electricity for 6 months, no elevators, toilet paper or cars. The first reaction seems extreme, but through his chronicles you realize that humans have a great capacity for adjustment. His wife, Michelle, initially struggled although she was supportive of the project. At the end you clearly see she is happier, they have improved communications and really became a convert for the lifestyle.
Recommended Movies/ Documentaries | eco-officiency March 26, 2010 | 
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