No Impact Man Screening

Going into the sixth week of RecycleMania, there was a free screening on Monday night of No Impact Man in the Miller Learning Center. Many new faces were in the crowd that have not yet been seen at other events during the competition. There were the always-faithful eco-students, the always-faithful blue-card students, a mixture of faculty and even some students from an environmental science class that had been urged to attend by their professor.

Colin Beavan takes on the challenge, with his family, to make no carbon impact for one year. What made this film appealing to a broader range of people was Colin’s hesitant, high-fructose loving, shopaholic wife. Colin made people feel guilty while his wife made people feel normal. The film had a mix of emotions, laughter, curiosity and education, keeping everyone compelled. Even those that had their homework out had soon forgotten about it and were consumed by the interesting story.

In the end, it was not easy for the Beavans family to live with absolute no impact. It was sometimes stinky, sometimes chilly and sometimes plain uncomfortable. BUT, at the same time it was fun, healthy, and stimulating. The Beavans family still goes to the farmer’s market, rides their bikes, does not watch television and cooks at home, just to name a few changes. The overall message I came away with was, JUST TRY IT! Just try only eating from the farmer’s market, going without television, or riding your bike to school. Who knows, you may realize how easy it really is.

Colin’s curiosity has stimulated the No Impact Project. It is an organization aimed to “empower citizens to make choices which better their lives and lower their environmental impact through lifestyle change, community action, and participation in environmental politics.” For more information on how you can get involved with the No Impact Project, visit NoImpactProject.org.

Claudia Langford, Intern
UGA Office of Sustainability