carbon footprint

Like many of us, writer Colin Beavan was frustrated by the slow political response to the threat of climate change. (Can that pace still be referred to as “glacial”?) Unlike the rest of us, he decided to take matters into his own hands by becoming No Impact Man. No Impact Family, actually: “For one year, my wife, my 2-year-old daughter, my dog and I, while living in the middle of New York City, are attempting to live without making any net impact on the environment. In other words, no trash, no carbon emissions, no toxins in the water, no elevators, no subway, no products in packaging, no plastics, no air conditioning, no TV, no toilets. . . .” Not even caffeine. The experiment began in November, 2006, and you can find out how it went on Beavan’s No Impact Man blog. Or see the movie, which got a standing ovation at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Either way, you’ll be entertained and learn a lot — not just about genuinely effective ways to reduce our carbon footprint, but about the ripple effect that one person’s radical act can set into motion.

In March, 2009, in Mumbai, India the Tata Nano launched to much fanfare. At 100,000 rupees ($1985 at the time), it’s the world’s least expensive car. Another impressive number: 65 miles per gallon.

The four-door Nano is a little over 10 feet long, about five feet wide (think twin bed), and powered by a 33 horsepower engine that can get the car up to 65 miles per hour. It’s sturdy too: the Nano just surprised quite a few doubters by passing European crash tests (shown in the video). The vehicle will still have to pass American safety and emission standards, modifications scheduled for completion by 2011 or early 2012. It's likely to be the cheapest car on the lot, and probably the most fuel-efficient. (The Smart Fortwo clocks in at 41 mpg; you can watch it crash here. However, buyers of what Tata has dubbed “the People’s Car” will have to do without power steering, air conditioning (except in the luxury model), and trunk space for anything much bigger than a lunchbox. Will the gas mileage and eco-points make the Nano irresistible in the land of the muscle car?

Since it first appeared online two and a half years ago, the Story of Stuff has garnered over six million views and made its way into classrooms across the United States. The kid-friendly, 20-minute video is an unflinching look at the pitfalls of our production and consumption patterns, super-sized American style in particular. Activist Annie Leonard produced it with money from numerous nonprofit groups.

A school board in Missoula County, Montana, declared the “Story of Stuff” to be biased, and the local parent who complained that it contained “not one positive thing about capitalism” is right. But the video's fundamental message about the ecological and human cost of our linear system — from extraction through manufacture through sales to use and disposal — is accurate and important. As a recent article in the New York Times reports, it's been embraced by teachers eager to supplement textbooks that lag behind scientific findings on climate change and pollution. Take a look and tell us what you think.