Film name:No Impact Man
Source:Netflix Instant Watch
Rating:6/10
A man decides to try to live for a year with no impact on the environment. He wants to save the trees and polar bears and be humble and help the world. He is a New Yorker with a wife and child. Let's think about this. No elevators, no laundry soap no take out etc. What's going to happen this family as he records a new life that is not going to be convenient by any stretch of the imagination........
Colin Beavan committs to this book idea and project and enlists his family to support and committ with him as well to his vows of reduce, reuse, recycle. Beavan with no formal environmental education, strips his NYC apartment of a tv, swaps Pampers for reusable cloth diapers and puts worms in a box to compost. His wife is super supportive of his efforts and puts up with big changes quickly. I thought Colin and his family were likeable white people in their early 40's. They seemed honest, curious and intelligent.
Sometimes I envied this couple's bond. It looked fun to shop at farmer's markets with cute baby and play charades instead of reality tv show with friends. But other times my heart hurt for Mrs. Beavan! What mom wants to give up profesionally made delicious espressos in an effort to keep her cool and have a productive day? But she loved that family enough to fight for "taking care" of herself.
I found this couple and their little one Isabella likeable, endearing and entertaining. Hey I am family oriented and arrogant myself and they reminded me of my family unit. But I cringed when I imagined myself and hubs and kids using reusable, washable, hygenic clothes in lew of tp.....really? Would I want to wipe noses and butts with something I cleaned myself with on menses? Not really! But these people were so earnest and sincere I totally got it, I won't do it and I don't want to at all, but I got it! I love that Colin's environmental care did not wait for congress or anyone else to help the world and I loved that he was honest enough to admit it was somewhat based on writing a book and self promotion.
I totally did not get why people blogged hatred of these and said unkind things to their faces as well. No Impact Man who let's be serious was No Impact family threatened us all.....hello, I just justified using toilet paper in a home with kids and dog and a menstrating lady! We don't like anything that makes us feel guilty or wasteful or asks us to do more for something we will not see an immediate reward for.
I enjoyed this movie it was really entertaining and thought provoking and like Colin Beavan I had no "real" or down to daily life idea about environmentalism. But it was cute and thought provoking. I worried when I clicked "play" that it would be rich people asking poor people to go with out but it was not at all. We can all find a new way, I thought it was hopeful, fun and a huge challenge that I am no where near man enough to work on right now.
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