No impact Man: a non-profit lifestyle experiment

In 2006 manahhtaning dwelling Colin Beaven, along with his wife, two-year-old daughter and dog, decided to undertake a yearlong project of leading a life with as little environmental impact as possible.

His reason for doing this was to attract public awareness about global issues (such as depletion of energy and material resources, water shortages, global warming and sustainable food systems) by experimenting with various ways of living that would improve the overall quality of life.

They went about doing this by saying no to electricity, taxis, takeout food, and meat and they went organic.

"Only bring into your home what you want," Beavan says. “You want the apples, not the bag they come in.”

"The average American creates 1,600 pounds of trash a year. We’re trying to reduce that to zero," Colin Beavan.

No Impact’s Man’s Top 10 Eco-Lifestyle Changes:

1. Stop eating beef. 

2. Give up bottled water. 
3. Observe an eco-sabbath. For one day or afternoon or even hour a week, don't buy anything, don't use any machines, don't switch on anything electric, don't cook, don't answer your phone, and, in general, don't use any resources. In other words, for this regular period, give yourself and the planet a break. Keep your regular eco-sabbath for a month. You'll find that the enforced downtime represents an improvement to your life.
4. Tithe a fixed percentage of your income to the non-profits of your choice.
5. Get there under your own steam. Commit to getting around by bike or by foot a certain number of days a month.
6. Commit to not wasting. From heat, to food, to air-conditioning to fuel, the list in endless. Spare your money and save the planet. 
7. Build a community. Spend more time with friends & family doing things that involves less waste. For example, have dinners/drinks and play music by candlelight.
8. Take your principles to work. 
9. Dedicate a day's worth of TV viewing to eco-service each week.
10. Believe with all your heart that how you live your life makes a difference to all of us.

The Book

The Movie

Colours Everywhere!

Colours are EVERYWHERE this year! From the chairs we sit on to the things we eat. When choosing your colours this season go for the most environmentally friendly option possible. For example, you can choose locally grown organic food, products made form recycled goods, or paints that are VOC free.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic chemicals with low boiling points, causing a large number of molecules to evaporate at room temperature. Even though VOCs are both naturally occurring and man-made chemical compounds, many are harmful to the environment and our health.

Fortunately, our clever little hamsters at Eco Effect make sure that all our prints are done with VOC free inks, as well as insuring that none of our products contain any of those bad boys!

May the colours of the rainbow be with you!

Mac Keyboards

Watches

Shoes

Wallpaper

Wallpaper

Books

Books

Advertising

Munich's Georg-Brauchle-Ring Subway Station

Pencil Fence

Crockery

Hanging Chair

Chair

Cushions and Place Mats

Painted Shelf

Rainbow Food

Colourful Flower Arrangements 

Save Water

8 tips on how to Save Water: 

1) Check for hidden water leaks with your water metre.

2) Wash your fruits and vegetables in a bowl of water instead of under running water.

3) When showering, turn the water off to lather up, and then turn it back on to rinse off.  Do the same when washing your hair. 

4) Place a bucket in the shower to catch excess water. Use this water, as well as the water used to clean your vegetables, to water your plants. 

5) To minimise evaporation water your garden in the mornings and the evenings. Another handy tip is to spread a layer of organic mulch around your plants. This helps retain moisture.

6) Encourage your employer to promote water conservation in the workplace. 

7) Avoid flushing your toilet unless you need to. For example, dispose of tissues, insects and other similar waste in the trash rather than the toilet. 

8) Place plastic bottles or float boosters in your toilet tank. This can save 40 litres or more of water a day.

Practice Greener Habits: April is all about Reusing

Integrate these 7 simple habits into your life to make the world greener:

   

1) Create useful objects with your household waste. Look online for endless things that you can create with unwanted milk cartons, old magazines, and much more.


2)  Look for clever reusable packing in the shops such as the ones below:

Stanley Honey: honey pot come pot plant.

Hanger Pak: t-shirt packaging come hanger.

3) As simple as this step seems, people tend to over look it. Use both sides of the paper at work and at home, whether it be to print or to write. You will be amazed at how much paper you will be saving.

4) Use old newspaper for cleaning mirrors and windows, it is the most effective way to get them spotless!

5)  Keep old, unwanted clothes, and make a quilt, beautiful cushion covers or even rip them up and use them as cleaning cloths.

6) Make compost for you garden from organic waste such as peels, skins and trimmings from fruits and vegetables, coffee grounds, egg shells, tea bags, and lots of other kitchen waste.

7) Keep your eyes and mind open to new ideas of how to reuse as much as possible in your life.

Practice Greener Habits: March is all about Reducing

Integrate these 7 simple habits into your life to make the world greener.

1) Buy products in containers that you can reuse, e.g. honey in glass jar instead of a plastic squeezable container, then you can use the glass jars for storage.

2) Try to avoid products with unnecessary packaging, for example rather buy loose fruit and vegetables than anything in bags.

3) Buy a beautiful bag for doing grocery shopping, like these woven ones for women. They last a lot longer than canvas bags and if you source your bag you can insure that you are supporting a local supplier or fair trade.

4) Avoid using disposable items such as tissue paper, plastic utensils, cups, paper plates, etc. 

5) Store food in containers, avoiding using foil and cling film wherever possible. What is even better is if you obtained your container from a product that you previously purchased! Not only are you helping the planet but you are cutting expenses. 

6) Do not buy electrical appliances when there is a manpowered option, for example a tin opener. 

7) Avoid battery-operated tools and toys. If possible, use ones that you can charge up by yourself,  that are solar powered or have rechargeable batteries.