NO IMPACT MAN by Colin Beavan

http://www.amazon.com/No-Impact-Man-Adventures-Discoveries/dp/0374222886/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298852985&sr=1-1

No Impact Man was an opportunity for me to read what one may refer to as an eco-freaks bible.  The autobiography describes Colin Beavan's journey for one year (in NYC no less)to try to make as little to no impact on the world's environment.  All I thought, before reading the novel, was that the Beavan family would be doing what an average eco-friendly person would do, only for one year; bringing reusable bags to the supermarket, trying to walk/bike instead of drive (or maybe even just owning a smart car of some sorts)...I completely underestimated the difficulty of this experiment! 

Colin and his wife Michelle and their 2-year-old daughter Isabella (who by Colin's description seems like the most adorable little girl!  She seemed to enjoy their experiment the most!), gave up television, use the stairs instead of elevators, walk/bike and NEVER use any form of transportation that emits CO2s (i.e. planes/trains/cars/taxis...you get the picture!).  So as I read the first 20 or so pages I felt that this family was basically creating their own mini eco-cult, but as the book progressed it became evident that they were actually living harmoniously with nature.  It can even be said that they were living in a way that humans (in the natural order of things) are meant to live.  Okay, I can honestly say that might sound a tad confusing, but think of it; before the time of umbrellas if it rained, you got wet.  Before the time of a society that is go-go-go, you stayed home and rested-and were not obligated to text/email/facebook message/call/fax someone to let them know you can't attend whatever pressing occasion you had to miss.  As Colin puts it "Back before the days of mechanized transportation and personal telephonic communications and coffee in to-go cups, there would be down times between the times of stress.  Maybe you had a presentation at the office or a great party to go to or a tense talk with your girlfriend.  But between those things you'd get a break.  You couldn't carry your coffee, talk on the phone, ride a taxi to the next stressful event all at the same time" (89).  The lives that the Beavan family led for this one year seems like the most idealistic way for any human to live--with reducing carbon emissions and impact on the environment they simultaneously reduced their stress and chose to not take part in a society that values stress above most other things.  In this I find the literary merit of the autobiography-Colin is able to craft his book forcing the reader to ask themselves the hard questions: What will our earth be like in 10 years?  15 years?  By the end of my lifetime?  Will I leave this earth worse than it was when I entered it, or will I leave it changed for the better?  These questions are raised not by Colin preaching to the reader, but by him discussing his own witty happenings during his one year project.  He described the horror of knowing he had to call his parents and cancel the train ride from NYC to ironically Westport, CT in order to abide by his no impact project, he discussed how an ordinary sneeze that would come with a tissue in tow was now a production of finding that reusable handkerchief.  These little things that happen in the novel are what give the novel it's quirkiness.  Now by the end of the novel, Colin admitted that his one year of being the Green Superhero was seriously exhausting, the thought of having to not use toilet paper, tissues, or walk up one more flight of stairs in lieu of the elevator was not going to happen-so the no impact man project ended, but Colin retains, till this day, many of the aspects of his no impact experiment...one being he keeps a blog encouraging average people to try to limit their own impact, check it out for yourselves:
http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/

A little P.S. to my blog post:  When reading this novel I quickly found myself realizing that it has become so insane to fathom living an impact free existence because protecting the planet so often clashes with humans desire to protect themselves before others, 'others' referring to the earth.  I find myself feeling that my happiness would in some respects be slighted if I had to trudge to school everyday...rain, snow, sleet, and all.  Although I know I will definitely not be able to begin a no impact project, I have this strange sense that by driving in my heat-blasting car during the winter, by throwing out whatever I don't want, by not even stopping to think about taking the stairs when I have the opportunity to take an elevator is fighting precisely what keeps myself alive-the earth...without the earth, where would I be?  The moon?  As Colin discussed in his novel, "the moon bakes away at inhuman temperatures during the day and becomes an icicle's icicle at night" (70).  Guess that won't work then.