In preparation for No Impact Week, my boyfriend and I compulsively had takeout five nights in a row, used the car to run close-by errands (well, it was raining…) and went on a mini shopping spree for things we “needed” around the house. That we were about to drastically reduce our impact for seven days in a row seemed justification enough for our splurges. Funny thing is, most days we would consider ourselves greener than the average Joe. We use reusable shopping bags, watch our water and energy consumption, buy organic… And we make the effort not just because it’s trendy, but because we understand the issues behind our choices and want our actions to be as healthy for ourselves and for the environment as possible. (Brief aside: I say “we,” but as the eco-writer and green thumper in the relationship, he’s mostly green to win points with me. But hey, whatever works.) Yet somehow, the nagging thought that we were about to enter a week when we suddenly couldn’t have and do the things we rarely have and do anyway sent us on a consuming frenzy.

The fog lifted today, finally, but left us feeling lazy, broke, and frankly, kinda bloated. All that splurging certainly didn’t leave us any happier. Probably, in fact, it left us the very opposite.

I share this because, I think, to get the most out of this experiment, we’re going to have to be brutally honest with ourselves about our behaviors. I’m always researching and writing about greener ways to live, but how often do I look so nakedly at my own habits? If I were to truly take an inventory of my personal impact on the planet, how often would I find these essentially irrational justifications? After watching the video The Story of Stuff—which, if you haven’t already, you should all check it out—it’s painfully obvious that none—and I mean none—of my justifications hold up next to the damage my consuming is doing to our planet and to countless people around the world. I’m grateful to be able to participate this week and am looking forward to, though admittedly a little nervous about, the discoveries about my own impact that I’ll make along the way. As far as my boyfriend goes, I just hope that he still loves me after I make him turn off the video games.

And if you're new to this, you can still register to participate in No Impact Week at NRDC Simple Steps.