No Impact Man (2009)

If ever there was a movie that wouldn't effect my life, but should, it is this one. The idea of "No Impact" is inane. Minimal impact would be more like it, but that title doesn't sell plastic DVDs in a plastic case to consumers who wish other people would consume less.Colin Beavan decides to live meagerly in the heart of NYC for one year so he can write about it on his no impact blog. He drags his wife into this. He explains to her while cooking on a gas stove in his electrically lit apartment that her having a cup of coffee would kill the planet. I sincerely don't believe everyone needs to visit the farmer and cow that supply them milk. Imagine the negative impact the transportation would have on the environment. And if you have to get ice from the neighbor to keep your own food cold, it defeats the purpose of you not using your own refrigerator. Did you think this stuff out?So what did he learn? Recycle. Buy foods locally. Ride a bike. Don't keep the compost box in the house. Playing charades with your friends is better than watching TV or reading reviews on the Amazon. I was bored for much of the film. I will make an effort to get my Coors Light can in the correct recycle bin

First of all the review that was posted on December 8th, 2010 titled "Pseudo-Lifestyles of the Rich and Pretentious" needs to be deleted. The person critiquing the film begins by stating he/she watched maybe 5-10 minutes of the film. That alone causes the review to be negated. Second, the reviewer would have gained invaluable tips, which is what he/she was wanting, if the documentary was given a chance.Something I admire and value greatly in this film is the mindful epiphanies that crop up (that sometimes had nothing to do with what the project was about--unexpected revelations). You'll have to see for yourself, although I will share one ;-). Many complain of not having enough time in the day for anything, or that time moves too fast. This documentary has answers…a big eye-opener.This is by far the most selfless documentary I have seen. It awakens many priceless life lessons that so many miss. I am truly grateful that despise the criticism given (which was actually taken back later in the film by the very people who gave it upon getting to know the family), that the project was seen from start to finish and gone back to be interpreted on many levels (so much self-actualizing going on in this film). This should be watched in as big of a group as you can get together, and it should be exposed to the corporate world. Many people don't quite know the impacts eating meat does to the very animals that are killed for food and on a much larger scale, to the earth. Education and understanding is key.I LOVE and am so inspired by the call to local and global action and community. This documentary offers the best advice anyone can give to promote action and understanding. Of course it helps to practice good choices yourself but to get involved, involve others, and continue education and understanding, a difference will result and on a much larger scale.A big thanks to everyone who made this film possible.

No project is ever perfect, and there are better ways to live no impact than exhibited in this documentary. BUT, trying and learning are all a part of improving the way we live. And I think that this family and film are commendable for the effort. I love how they share their experiences their trepidation of change and the actual outcome. Reducing garbage, reducing consumption, spending more time together and outside as a consequence of their decisions, becoming more involved with the community...all wonderful in and of themselves, made the family happier. I believe that we try to cram so much into our lives (shopping, errands, TV, eating out, exercise, work) that we lose enjoyment for each element of our lives. By shopping at the farmers market, shopping is no longer a chore but exercise and a community building, happy event. Summed up nicely at the end. This film doesn't aim to be perfect, doesn't aim to offer the best solutions or to have all the current research. What it does do is document a trial & error process, and demonstrate the positive impact that living sustainably can have on individuals' lives over and above helping the environment.

I am so proud of myself for moving to the city and reducing the environmental impact of my car to negligible, yet after seeing No Impact Man, I am chastened by how little I have done to make life sustainable on this planet. Colin , Michelle, and their baby Isabella spend a year in New York City living with worms that make compost, no electricity, no toilet paper, and no Starbucks, just to name a few of the daily items I could not live without.This green documentary is the most honest story you could see about people trying to be environmentally responsible and partner-parent responsible at the same time. The former seems easy compared with the challenges of finding common ground between a partner whose dream is the ascetic year (Colin, a blogger and activist)) and a partner, Michelle, a journalist for Business Week (her colleagues call her and Colin "bourgeois f____s"), who has been a retail and Starbucks addict. They've decided to live in Manhattan for a year making no environmental impact.Lest you find great sympathy for the sufferers, remember Colin is aiming toward a book at the end of the experiment, and Michelle may be getting more satisfaction in converting to the spare life than Colin does in living his dream.She is the part of the documentary I find most worth watching as she grows from a plain-looking, nerdy writer to a more attractive advocate for the green life, not without kicking and screaming early on. Her transformation is worthy of a round character in a short story, but then she and Colin are co-producers and thereby not above suspicion for manipulating the production.The couple's relationship nicely parallels the project itself, going from initial skepticism, struggle to accept, and ultimate adjustment to the realities of the state in which little has been compromised but much gained in personal growth. Without the intrusively annoying presence of a Michael Moore, No Impact Man is a seemingly honest depiction of the joys and hardships we all experience on the journey to a sustainable, non-impact life.Whether or not the drama is contrived, the message that we all need to be involved is true enough.