For Lent, I am experimenting with a change in lifestyle modeled after Colin Beavan’s “No Impact Man”, a book he wrote about his year-long journey to live a life of zero-environmental-impact. Beavan, who lives in New York City along with his wife and young daughter, gave up electricity, fossil fuels, faraway foods, and all paper products (including toilet paper).

Why? Because he understands that we are destroying this earth. The most damning statistic I know: every living system on the planet – trees, soil, water, animals, air – are all declining in health. Not one is stable or improving. Humans are the only species that if we were to disappear, ecological life on earth would actually improve.

Therefore, Beavan got tired of talking and decided to take action. His book, and blog, are outstanding, promising and enlightening, and I stole a few ideas for my own Less of an Impact Man 40-day project.

Last week, I tried to create as little waste and trash as possible. Two words summarize my attempt: plastic and restraint.

Thanks to composting and recycling and feeding leftover food to our chickens, I was able to throwaway far less than normal. However, 95 percent of what I did toss away was plastic. It is everywhere, wrapped around almost all of the things we consume.

Evidence of this is the floating island of plastic somewhere off the Pacific coast. Twice the size of the continental U.S., this island of “plastic soup’’ as it’s been called is a floating testimony to the amount of plastic we throwaway.

It bears repeating: twice the size of the continental U.S.

In order to accomplish my trash fast, I also had to practice restraint. If I forgot my coffee mug, then I had to forgo a cup of coffee poured into a disposable paper cup. If I forgot my reusable grocery bags, I had to come back the next day. And when I did grocery shop, I had to skip out on all the prepackaged foods, and instead use the incredibly helpful bulk bins at Greenlife. Beavan discovered this option too, and learned to bring his own bags.
It required forethought, and intention, and mindfulness, all of which are necessary in a healthy life and culture. Consequently, I noticed the speed of my life slowing down; not everything was instant, or fast, or immediate. Restraint, with its negative connation, actually is liberating.

That’s why I’ve decided to amend my Lenten project with a new, less-of-an-impact idea.

For the last five years, I’ve written regular columns this website, each of which advocated the end of what Dr. King called the triple evils of society – militarism, racism and poverty – and the implementation of their opposite, what he called The Beloved Community. Rarely do I read the responses posted to my columns, but once in a blue moon, they’ll come my way, and time and time again, I have been amazed at their tone. Sarcastic. Insulting. Ridiculing. Frustratingly absent of any attempt at intellectual and honest discourse.
So, to all those who have derided my columns in the last five years, attempting to silence me, I have one thing to say:

Okay. You win.

I’ll stop writing.

I’ll be silent.

Here’s why: the deeper I immerse myself into environmentalism and mindfulness, I realize that silence is its own form of language. When I go quiet, I am able to hear so much more than when I was speaking – or writing. And writing for this website has become, it seems, more and more like trying to listen to a butterfly while on board a B-52. The level of bad blood is so high. The level of anger is so high.

So I’ll stop posting columns on this website for a while. I’ll practice silence, and listening, and restraint. There are many words out there already, and some of the best are being written by folks like Thich Nhat Hahn, Paul Hawken, Vandana Shiva, Randall Amster. All of them seem to be saying the same thing: don’t stare too long at the setting sun.

In closing, a story a friend who works in Africa told me recently. Not long ago, the president of Burundi attempted to create peace in his war-torn land. Calling together the leaders of the three factions – the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa – President Pierre Nkurunziza did something remarkable. Kneeling beside a towel and bowl of warm water, he gently removed the shoes of the conflicting leaders and began to wash their feet, reportedly saying, “I serve you in order for us to serve each other.’’

Here’s to clean feet.

(David Cook can be reached for a little while longer at dcook7@gmail.com.)

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I applaud your experience and your attempt to save this planet one bag at a time.

The main thing I got from your latest post is this: the main ingredient in plastic is oil.

When gas prices go up, and they will, remember that it’s not just the auto that we can blame oil prices on, it’s everything we touch everyday. When the cost of oil goes up so does the cost to manufacture that milk carton, bread wrapper and probably over 50% of your vehicle. If we tried to eliminate plastic from our homes it’s likely that it would be impossible.

Sue White
Lwhite61@bellsouth.net

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David, your letters have raised awareness about the plight of the homeless, and as I recall you were instrumental in starting the local Changers. Any effort has detractors, and if you truly believe in your message, then simply turn off the noise. Dust yourself off, and get right back up.

You referenced Dr. King in your post, no quitter there thank goodness. I read your posts because they are progressive ideas, not your run of the mill message.

So please, remember where you are, take small steps, and keep raising awareness on the homeless and environment.

April Eidson
aprile@comcast.net