Sunday, July 22, 2007

Turn Off The Lights. . . And Light A Candle

I happened to flip by Nightline the other day and came across a story about a family in New York trying a "No Environmental Impact" lifestyle. They've turned off their circuit breakers, they've stopped using the elevator, they ride a scooter to and from work, and even wash clothes in the bathtub by stomping around the laundry filled water like they are stomping grapes. And for entertainment, they go to the park.

I have to say that I do admire them. They are conserving water and fuel. They are not contributing to the consumption of fossil fuels by not using electricity. They are even getting some quality time together with candlelight dinners and family outings at the park. And one of the child's favorite activities is the laundry stomp. Kudos to them! But you know what? I couldn't do it.

I can't live without my TV. I'd be lost without my car. And there were times in my childhood when we didn't have a washing machine in the house and didn't always have quarters for the laundromat. So I've done the washing clothes by hand thing. I hope to never have to do that again.

I do make my own effort though. I've cut down on extra driving. I reuse the plastic bags from the grocery store. My household has recycling pickup. I even unplug my chargers when they aren't in use. But I don't think I could ever take it to the extreme that this family has. I certainly admire them for it, though.

4 comments:

Jim Lawson said...

I saw that segment as well. I did notice that they "escape"to their offices during the day to have all the amenities that they don't have at home. I think the man did some srt of writing for a living, I was surprised to see him using his computer instead of a manual typewriter.

Antonio said...

That's right. He did say that he has a solar panel on the roof powering his computer. I guess there are things they can't live without.

Krissy Doyle said...

Did you see Hairspray yet? What did you think?

Mary said...

I'm so glad you posted this. I had heard about this a while ago on Public radio and have been wondering how it was going.