"No Impact" Pact Starts with Breakfast

Breakfast at Mague's Restaurant.

By Kym Fox
A commitment to limit my impact during No Impact Week seemed like a simple idea. But then we went out for our traditional after-church breakfast.

Early Sunday morning, the first day of No Impact Week at Texas State, I had already made a plan: No weekly trip to H-E-B, no packing pre-packaged food for my Monday lunch, watch one of the No Impact Week videos (I need to get ready for my US1100 lecture anyway).
Our family tradition on Sunday is to attend church and then go to breakfast at our favorite Mexican food restaurant, Mague's. I figured the restaurant stop would be OK because they serve on real plates, and Mague even prefers local food. Her kitchen crew makes everything fresh, so even the kitchen uses minimal packaging.

But then it happened.

What about my Sunday indulgence of a giant unsweet ice tea in a to-go cup? Actually, my entire family is in the habit of ordering our drinks in those giant Styrofoam cups. Maque has that crunchy ice like Sonic, and she makes the best sweet and unsweet tea around. Before we leave the restaurant, we always fill the big white Styrofoam cups with fresh ice and more tea. It lasts the rest of the day. But not this day. I was the first to order, and I grudgingly ordered my tea in a regular glass. Lydia, our server, gave me a look, but she made note. Then, without even a kick under the table from me, my husband did the same.

So, apparently it is possible to change habits and survive.

Now my pledge for the rest of the week:
Monday - Trash - I am packing my lunch in reusable containers and using my travel mug for coffee. I'll use a plastic shopping bag for my lunch, but I won't throw it away - I'll keep it to use at least the rest of the week and maybe longer. If I make that trip to H-E-B, I'll use my reusable shopping bags that are supposed to be in my trunk (note to self: put the reusable bags back in the trunk.) Now, this is the big one - I'll pick through my office trash and make sure everything that can be recycled is put in a recycle bin. I have a paper recycling box under my desk, but visitors to my office don't know that, so they are always dumping paper in my trash.
Status Update: I made it through Monday creating minimal trash and used No Impact Week as a reason to avoid grocery shopping for a few more days. It's a good thing peanut butter and jelly is standard fare at my house. 

Tuesday - Transportation - This one is tougher. I live 80 miles from campus. I have only one transportation choice - my car. I do drive a very fuel efficient car, a diesel Bettle. That's the best I can do on transportation.

Status Update: My commute did not get any shorter, and my little town did not magically develop mass transit, so I drove to school as usual.

Wednesday - Food - I am usually off campus on Wednesdays, so I will take a break from grading and stop by the small meat market in my town. They have locally produced meat and local cheeses, sometimes other items. I'll cook a great meal for my family and make it as local as possible.

Thursday - Energy - I vow to turn off the light in my office if I don't need it and especially when I am away teaching. I'll unplug all those other things that are perpetually plugged in at home and at school - my cell phone charger, music player, electric pencil sharpener - whatever I can find to unplug.

Friday - Water - I will carry my Texas State water bottle everywhere. I will turn off the tap when I am brushing my teeth or washing my face, which I usually do anyway. I'll take a "drought" shower. This summer, during the drought, we were afraid our well would go dry, so the house rule was - water on to soap up and water off until you were ready to rinse - 5-minutes max! We made it through the summer with our well intact. I can do that again.

Saturday - Give Back - I am active in a church organization called Walk to Emmaus. We have a retreat this weekend, and I'll be volunteering all weekend. (And I am taking a coffee cup and refillable water bottle so I can avoid the many disposable cups that can fill the trash cans.)

Sunday - The Eco-Sabath - I'll be volunteering on Sunday as well, so it should be easy to avoid most energy-consuming devices. The problem happens in the evening when my carbon footprint will take a giant step in the wrong direction - I have to fly to Las Vegas for the national Society of Professional Journalists convention. I can't avoid the flight, but I can share a cab in Las Vegas. It's not much, but it's something.

Check back later in the week to see how I do. I'll try to update my progress each day.