Introduction

As a part of Colin Beavan's national No Impact Week, my IB Environmental Systems and Societies Class is investigating what it's like to live as close to zero environmental impact as possible. For a year, Beavan, his wife, and young child lived in New York City attempting to live with a balanced or positive environmental impact. For many of us, the methods that Colin implemented are harder to accomplish due to many Americans living in suburban areas. After World War II, a large segment of the population moved away from the central hubs of their respective cities and relocated to what then were open fields seeking a large lot with a large home away from the conditions of city living. This unprecedented event created a dependance on the automobile, as residential, business, and retail districts were separated into exclusive use developments. Along with a dependence on the automobile to obtain necessary goods and services, citizens had to drive further to their places of employment; many of which were still concentrated in the downtown areas. As a student who lives in a close in suburb of Charlotte, and can speak to the issues mentioned above, I will document my journey to implement the No Impact Man's principles into my daily life, greening my slice of the great city of CLT.