Well, the no impact week is ending today, and I would say that for me, this project was only minimally effective/successful. That being said, I think that it would have been the perfect project for me to begin my one year of living with less - as it would have been a wonderful way to awaken my eco-consciousness and become aware of all the changes that I would be trying to implement in the coming year. Over the past week, I found that with each of the challenge areas: Trash, Consumption, Water, Energy, Transportation, Giving Back; that I am already making huge life-changing efforts. Of course, you can always do more, but for me, I think that success lies in making slow, steady changes. For example, one of the areas that I have been focusing on of late, is to try to reduce the levels of toxins in our home environment. From the food in our cupboards to the hygiene products in our bathroom, I am going through each of the products one by one and trying to figure out which ones have been filling our bodies with poison (I know, I know, sounds dramatic right?) Well, the reading that I have been doing lately has made me think that maybe that statement maybe isn't so far off. One of the first changes that I have made is to switch to the 'No Poo' method of washing my hair ('No Poo' is slang for giving up traditional shampoo/conditioners - and no, I didn't make that up myself - it's a real technique! If you are interested in reading more about this method,
click here). Don't worry, I didn't jump into this one lightly - I actually read up it first (for once)!
I have been 'No Poo' for about a week now, and so far, I am actually quite pleased with the results. I have really fine hair and I was extremely worried that my hair would turn into a greasy, stringy mess, but so far, it hasn't. Also, it may not spell like apples anymore (aka hormone-disrupting phthalates), but it doesn't smell bad either. Actually, according to Trent, it doesn't really smell like anything... I can live with that! While I have started with the shampoo/conditioner and soap in the shower, I will be gradually phasing out my other cosmetic products... it makes me sick to think about throwing away half full bottles of stuff that I paid a lot of money for... that is the 'frugalista' in me (which in this case, wins over the 'ecodiva').
All of that being said... you would tell me if I was stinky right?
Marebare :)
