No Impact Man - Portrait of a Marriage: Eco-Geeks Unplugged

[groovedaddy]

"No Impact Man” is a documentary about Colin Beavan, author of a blog and book of the same name. The title of this multifarious, multimedia project is, if not exactly disingenuous, at least somewhat double edged. For a year Mr. Beavan and his family turned their small Manhattan apartment into the site of an experiment in radical nonconsumption. They forewent many of the conveniences of modern life — from coffee to electricity to toilet paper — in order to minimize their use, direct and indirect, of carbon-based fuels. But even as he and his wife, Michelle Conlin, organized their daily routines to have the least possible environmental impact, Mr. Beavan, a freelance writer, was working to maximize the cultural and ideological impact of his enterprise.

The year of doing something crazy to learn a lesson or prove a point is by now less a gimmick than a full-fledged publishing genre. Activities that would, in the course of ordinary life, count as modest or private undertakings acquire a special significance when they become the basis of book proposals. A. J. Jacobs followed numerous biblical commandments (there are a lot more than 10); Morgan Spurlock ate nothing but fast food; Julie Powell cooked her way through Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” And Mr. Beavan, in a similarly self-displaying if more austere spirit, weaned himself, Ms. Conlin and their young daughter from motorized transportation, nonlocal food and light bulbs.

His intentions, as stated in the film and on his blog, were indisputably virtuous. By pushing himself further than even the most conscientious recyclers and locavores are usually willing to go, Mr. Beavan hoped to raise awareness both about the ecological costs of overconsumption and about possible solutions to the problem. These goals are, conveniently, as impossible to measure as they are to criticize. They also rest on an unexamined investment in the culture of celebrity and publicity, which, while perhaps less globally destructive than carbon-burning consumerism, can have a corrosive effect on individual dignity and collective morality. The main purpose of the year of no impact was to justify, and to raise awareness of, the project itself.

Taken as a polemical documentary championing environmentally conscious action, “No Impact Man,” directed by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein, is of little interest and less utility. It provides no new scientific insights or political arguments, and celebrates various behavioral changes without assessing their value or importance. Mr. Beavan’s evangelical, self-congratulatory demeanor has the effect, especially early in the film, of playing to the unfortunate perception that what drives many environmentalists is, above all, the need to feel superior to their neighbors and fellow citizens.

http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/09/11/movies/11impact.html?th&emc=th

[joshcryer]

1. I've been following this guy for a few weeks now (he made the Yahoo! headlines a little while back).

I'm unimpressed by his stunt and the message he is attempting to send. First, it doesn't have anything original in it, and second, it doesn't offer any *realistic* solutions to the global, real, problem we are facing. For instance, if sea level rise were to occur as it is looking to, in some 50-60 years whole populations are going to have to do mass migrations. NYC will become the new Miami. This is huge, but if we cannot fix it before it happens, Colin's backyard will be filled with immigrants from the south, the carrying capacity of the land will be nearly halved (in the USA). It is extremely important to understand just how big a deal this is.

[kestrel91316]

2. I have followed the No Impact Man blog on and off for over a year.

I applaud his experiment in low-impact living and his very real success in raising awareness of how what we do in our daily lives casts ripples through our world.

And fuck the naysayers.

[joshcryer]

3. Read the article? I look forward to seeing the movie and if the characterization of their marriage..

...is correct.

BTW I did read his back blog for quite a bit (skimming it, I think back until June)), so I understand what he was doing, I just don't think it's very convincing. Most people, the poorest of the poor, already try their damnedest to keep their expenses down by lowering the consumption rates. This is even more apparent due to the recent recession. In that period I saw no significant mention of technology being a good helper. No mention of vertical gardens, hydroponics, etc.

[XemaSab]

4. Having lived in Arcata, California

the self-congratulatory streak is strong with many "environmentalists."

[joshcryer]

5. I haven't met an "activist" that wasn't that way.

Note: by activist I mean one who outwardly expresses a desire for something different, protests, etc, not just a regular run of the mill working class individual who has *desires* to be more environmentally friendly.