Colin Beavan’s No Impact Man project in which he chronicled his efforts to shrink his carbon footprint, has catapulted him from the blogosphere to a book deal and up onto the silver screen.

In support of Colin's efforts, we've set up an experiment of our own.  Two of our employees, Jon Brown and Alex Patton, both self-described "regular guys and consumers, not typical activists or green types" are embarking on an adventure to see which of them can learn to make smarter, better-informed water-use choices in their personal lives.

From September 11 to October 23, each will document their story on Smorgasbord and at the end, you can vote to determine who made the most meaningful attempts to cut their water use.  You can also join Alex and Jon in their experiment by sharing with us some of the water-saving measures you’ve taken in your own life.

Jon Brown

is Food & Water Watch's IT Manager. During the day, Jon keeps the inner-workings of the office network up to par, and makes sure that all of our critical services stay online. When he isn't busy in the office, Jon enjoys working on websites at home, and spending time with his wife. Jon considers himself environmentally aware and does his best to recycle and consider the environment, but as Jon admits, there are often many different variables to consider.  "This adventure will be a test of my patience and true commitment to the environment. I think the hardest challenge will be staying on track with the program, and trying to dispel some of my bad habits when it comes to wasting water."

Jon's Chronicles

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Alex Patton

is Food & Water Watch’s Foundation Officer. When he isn’t busy managing grants and writing proposals for new ones, this 30-year-old Midwesterner enjoys watching the Chicago Cubs, Bears and Illinois basketball; movies; books and the occasional Wii Sports showdown. Alex, who lives alone in a studio apartment and has a girlfriend, but no children, considers himself fairly environmentally aware, but hardly evangelical. Says Patton “I recycle, ride my bike to work, do not own a car and try to watch how much water and electricity I use. While I do eat meat, I try not to consume excessive amounts, both for health and environmental reasons.”

Alex's Chronicles

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5