x
  • Bookmark and ShareShare
  • Earn Points
    What's this?
No Impact Man: The sustainable joys of sustainable living
<i>No Impact Man</i> reveals the simple, lasting pleasures that come from living mindfully -- even in a busy metropolis.
Tue, Sep 01 2009 at 1:15 PM
 3

Related Topics:

Celebs, Education

 

3878752404 9d0c7890b6 m Film Review: No Impact ManIf you’re like most environmentalists, you’ve tried putting your life through one of those online carbon footprint calculators — you know, the kind that tells you we’d need 4.5 Earths or so to sustain your current lifestyle. And if you’re like most, you’ve managed to bring down that number of Earths somewhat — though not down to one.

 
That’s one reason why one New York family’s effort to bring that number all the way down to zero has proved fascinating, inspiring, and for some, skepticism-inducing. For one year, Colin Beavan, a.k.a. No Impact Man, got his wife, Michelle Colin, and their 2-year-old daughter to try an eco-living experiment: Living a zero-impact life. Colin lived, blogged and spoke at all manner of media outlets about this green experiment, and now, a documentary film about that effort — also dubbed No Impact Man — is hitting the big screen.
 
Colin and Michelle’s experimental year actually began back in November 2006, so many of the details of the No Impact experiment — from cutting off the electricity to foregoing elevators, subways and even toilet paper — will be familiar to fans of the No Impact Man blog, launched back in February 2007. But the film brings to life the personal joys and struggles of the experiment — and the personalities of the experimenters.
 
Michelle, for one, was a woman who’d spend $900+ on a pair of designer boots — but comes to love getting around town on a scooter or bike. Colin initiated the No Impact experiment, but goes through low moods when he questions whether his efforts will be worthwhile or meaningful at all. And the two have heartfelt fights, not just over maggoty compost and hippie coolers that just don’t work — but also about Michelle’s desire for a second child.
 
In the film, Colin notes that the year-long experiment is more philosophical than scientific. After all, no hardcore number crunching went into figuring out exactly what environmental impact the No Impact lifestyle made. Much of the experiment, in fact, hinged on intangible, unmeasurable effects — the community created by pitching in at an urban garden, the relationships strengthened by turning off the TV, the less hectic plans that seemed to let weekends stretch on and on.
 
No Impact Man in fact shows how our perceptions of pleasure — and appreciation of simple joys — change as we change our lifestyle. When the fridge and freezer are excised from the No Impact lifestyle, some family friction results. But after a while, the couple adjusts — and Michelle begins to cheats a little by getting ice from the fridge at her workplace. The big smile that a simple cup of ice water puts on her face makes you rediscover how much of our lifestyles of conveniences and satisfactions we too often take for granted.
 
Directed by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein, No Impact Man opens in New York and Los Angeles on Sept. 11 — then goes national on Sept. 18.
 
Also on MNN:

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

You might also like:

Join the conversation

Comments: 3
Sign in with one of these accounts to add your comment.
anonymous
Michael Jan 19 2011 at 4:37 PM
I am a student of a university thatwas recently convinced to support this man and his project by buying a copy of the poorly written book for every incoming freshman and all faculty members. They bought the books, and paid for Mr. Beavan to speak for us...with my money. The book is a struggle to keep open, though he does basically lay out that the whole enterprise came about due to his failures in his other professional pursuits. His speaking was fragmentary and stuttering, as well as being almost
.... More
nothing but an outline of the first chapter of his book. Fuck you Colin Beavan.
|
anonymous
Thomas R Nov 21 2010 at 1:24 PM
This article is getting old, and the movie has been out for some time, but the message is still highly relevant: What effects does our lifestyle have on our surroundings? Can we do something about it? I have to say that if living green cost a little more, the money you save on consuming less more than compensates. I would gladly pay a little bit more to live a clean life, both with regards to conscience and biological footprint - "No Impact Man" actually got more time to spend with family and friends.
.... More
What makes us happy? New TV or spending time with people you care about? :)
|
motherlodebeth
motherlodebeth Sep 01 2009 at 6:27 PM
For over a year I would read the NoImpactMan website, and was intrigued with the experiment they were doing. But as someone who has lived no impact mode for decades I was disappointed he didn't include a weekly or monthly notebook about money spent, hours spent doing the non electric, less water use etc stuff. We still do this because it provides a record of money saved from last year to this year. Unless someone has a record of money spent, and the pros and cons of a given choice, one may actually
.... More
end up spending more money for something that doesn't work well. And what about a year, five years, ten years from now? Will people resort to old ways? Look at how many people are discovering living with less these days because of the economic down turn. The last time we had a serious recession was in the early 80's and then looked at how quickly people went back to wasteful, materialistic ways once the economy turned around.
|

EDITORS' PICKS

tease Pope Francis

line

tease tree-dwelling animals

line

tease Internet shaming

Advertisement
From our sponsor
Follow Diageo on Twitter

NEWSLETTER

Mother Nature. Delivered
Advertisement