In an OpEd in the New York Daily News, No Impact Man Colin Beavan tackles the connection between our consumption-based economy and the BP oil spill. He opens his piece comparing oil to alcohol:

Question: When an alcoholic leaves a bar, gets behind the wheel and drunkenly drives into his third or fourth wreck, do you blame the bartender who served the drinks or the alcoholic who drank them? Now answer this: When a society addicted to greater and greater fossil fuel use experiences what may amount to the largest oil spill in world history – after a growing number of other fossil fuel catastrophes – do you blame the oil company that drilled for the oil or the society that uses it?

Colin goes on to provide examples of how we might find ourselves being guilty of over consuming fossil fuels. He states, “Typically, our knee-jerk is to blame the greedy corporations and do-nothing politicians. But how much more could be accomplished if each American accepted that he or she plays a part in the problem and therefore could contribute to the solution?”

The No Impact Project challenges us to take a step back and look at our lifestyles to see where we can make less of a carbon foot print on earth by using as little energy as possible. Through the experiment, people realize that they can live fulfilling lives without the things they take for granted everyday. For more information about the No Impact project and to participate in the experiment, visit www.noimpactproject.org.

Watch the video below to see the impact of the No Impact Week Project: