How Should We Live? Insights from Colin Beavan

Photo via Yes Magazine.

A while back I went to the Chicago Green Festival and heard from inspiring speaker Colin Beavan, who starred in the documentary No Impact Man and who now runs No Impact Project. He gave a fascinating speech on the way we can live consciously, in a way that benefits us and the planet. Here are a few excerpts from his speech (long overdue!).

How should we live? What's our relationship to the world the way it is? And what do we do about it? How can we go about changing it?


It is possible to care about people and polar bears.


If we can't support polar bears, how long will it be before we can't support us?

Photo via FYeahYoga.

If we could say, "We wrecked the place, but damn we had a good life," that would be one thing. But what's happening is we're wasting resources and they're not even making us happy.


Good news: what's wrecking the planet and what's making us unhappy are connected.


We have a tremendous opportunity to do something that fixes both. We can adopt a way of life that does both.

Photo via FYeahYoga.

When we hear someone say, "I want a happier world," often our instant reaction is to argue about how to achieve that. We divide ourselves politically. What should be a conversation becomes boring, useless, only bickering.


We have tendencies to make matter worse once we engage in the argument.


When asking yourself the question "How shall we live?" we should step out of the argument.


I got the idea for No Impact when I came home from work to a cold apartment on a hot August afternoon. Cold air came blasting through the doors and I realized I couldn't even wait 20  min for the room to cool down. 


Everyone said, "Not one person can make a difference." 


What about save yourself to save the world? 


If all you can change is 2%, that's the only part you can fix. If all of us figured out our 2%, and all of us changed it, the problem would be gone.


So many multi-sourced problems that it requires thousands of solutions. Networked solutions.


Give the gifts you have. Return to that part of yourself.

Photo via FYeahYoga.

A hero is somebody willing to leave the familiar, to find a new path, to share it with others. A hero is dissatisfied, and has the courage to try something different.


What green things can you do that are not depriving, and not against your nature?


When you simultaneously see a need in the world and see how your behavior can meet that need, you inspire a particular way of helping.