Monday's goal for all those participating in No Impact Week (or as I call it, my Tread Lightly Week) was to minimize trash, and to monitor one's own production of trash and waste. I think I managed pretty well, in part because I didn't need to buy anything at all. Therefore, no packaging, no receipts, no bags and no containers. Lunch was leftovers from my vegan dinner the night before, and my Ikea microwaveable container made it possible to eat right out of the Tupperware, so I didn't need to even use dishes (NRDC kitchens have silverware). I cooked dinner at home, so again no trash from my meals. There was organic waste, however, and I felt bad not having a residential compost bin. In theory, I could compost at home and just take the compost to Union Square where they pick it up. I am not sure I am ready for such a big commitment, but I did check out some suitable looking residential compost bins. Baby steps...

The hardest part of the day was remembering to use a handkerchief instead of tissues; something my allergies made me acutely aware of.

I realized that the waste that accumulates at my apartment sometimes has less to do with me and more to do with others. So I decided to tackle the two most visible sources of waste: 

• Junk Postal Mail: Like many of you, I am outraged by the amount of junk mail that inundates my inbox mailbox. I want nothing to do with all those catalogs, solicitation letters from non profits, and random newsletters from arts and music groups. So, having heard time after time from everyone in the environmental community that the best way to stop unwanted mail and to take action against wasteful deforestation is to sign up for 41pounds.org, that's where I went. The process was really user-friendly, until I realized there was no way to sign up for just one or two years. Alas, the only option 41pounds offers is to sign up for five years. Never mind the fact that I may move from my current address before five years elapse, the main constraint that prevented me from signing up was the cost. The one-time cost for five years was $41 (part of which goes to a charity of your choice). That may not seem like much for such a good cause, but at my pay grade in the non profit sector, $41 in the middle of the month was not feasible. I'll reconsider this when making end-of-the-year charity donations, but with everything I always give to, this is going to add up. 41pounds, if you are listening, please make options for periods less than five years? In the meantime, I signed up - through a far more painstaking process - for the junk mail de-selection service from dmachoice.org and the easy but relatively less effective national do not mail list at directmail.com. And for the little that will still inevitably continue to trickle in, there is always mixed paper recycling.  
• Metal Hangers from the Organic Dry Cleaners: Some dry cleaning is unavoidable. Especially for business wear. So I use an Organic dry cleaner in my neighborhood. But time after time, I find I end up with metal hangers I have no use for. I rounded them all up and trudged back to the cleaners and gave them back to her, explaining that she should re-use them if possible. She said she'd be happy to. I also told her that next time, I may just take my clothes folded, instead of on hangers. This she was more reluctant to do, but I think with a few gentle nudges, she may come around. The good news for those in New York City is that even if you end up with excess hangers stockpiled at your home, these are recycled by the city. (A great place to check what can be recycled in your city and area is Earth911).

So, Day 2 ended well. Keeping this up will definitely lower my footprint, and I don't feel like anything I did was particularly difficult, so I think this can be sustained!

Speaking of footprints, this has all got me wondering how my footprint living in America compares to my footprint in India. Let's look at the numbers: According to the Energy Information Administration, the annual per capita carbon emissions of the average American are currently (2006 data) 19.7 tons CO2e and will fall to 17.1 tons by 2030. The same data indicates that the average India's annual emissions are currently 1.1 tons CO2e and will rise to 1.4 tons in 2030. Examining five different independent climate modeling studies performed in India, including by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, by Dr. Pachauri's organization TERI and by McKinsey and Co., one discovers that even with the highest project emissions growth, 4 out of 5 studies estimate that per capita emissions in India will stay below 4 tons in 2030. Clearly, an average Indian has, and will continue to have, a much smaller footprint than the average American. (Per World Bank and UN data, the world average right now is 3.8 tons CO2e annually.)

But averages, as we all know, are misleading. While nearly half of India's population remains without access to electricity and basic infrastructure, those of us who have lived in New Delhi or Bombay know that our lifestyles have a substantial footprint which is not belied by the national average. Even without belonging to the very highest socio-economic strata, middle-class Indians in cities like New Delhi typically own a motor vehicle, at least one or more television sets, have air conditioners, rarely use public transport, dine at restaurants and fast-food chains, and are big retail consumers. Even with their proud standing as Number 1 on the GreenDex ranking of environmentally conscious and sustainable consumers worldwide, Indians who live in big cities are just as consumptive and wasteful as their counterparts in most Western cities. Add to this the preferential use of personal motor vehicles over public transport, the growing sprawl, the absence of effective municipal recycling systems, and one ends up with a sizeable impact. New York City's own greenhouse gas emissions inventory indicates that the average NYC resident has a footprint of 7.1 tons CO2e. Until New Delhi performs its own comprehensive emissions assessment I won't be able to make a real comparison, but a small part of me already feels confident, and also somewhat saddened, that my own lifestyle in New York has a smaller footprint than the lifestyle I would be enjoying in New Delhi right now. If all of India is heading in the same direction, it is critical to ensure that these lifestyles can be achieved with minimal environmental impact. Luckily, India still has time to learn from the West's mistakes and to ensure that everyone can indeed enjoy the good life, but also tread lightly on the planet.