"No Impact Man."

This week in class we watched a documentary called “No Impact Man.” The documentary was about a man Colin Beaven that wanted to practice what he preached, so he formed a project for him and his family that would last a year. Beaven, his wife Michelle Conlin, and his two-year old daughter Isabella participated in this project and their goal was to create as little environmental impact as possible while living in New York City.

Michelle had no idea what she was getting herself into when she agreed in participating in this No Impact Project. Beaven created a list of things that they would reduce, recycle, and reuse along with phases that the family would go through. Michelle thought it seemed easy until the things were actually taken away. The family immediately stopped using their vehicle and cut all ties to any other form of transportation, such as the subway. Michelle used a scooter to get to work and Beaven used a bike. When the family would go out together they used a tricycle, so Isabella could ride along too. They got rid of their television and worked on creating less trash. The family stopped using toilet paper and diapers and also stopped ordering take-out food, shopping for any new clothing, and only buying food that was within 250 miles of New York. Beaven threw away any cleaning products and made his own in reusable bottles, this method always worked for shampoo and soap. They also stopped using elevators, which resulted in the family walking up and down nine flights of stairs to get to their apartment. After six months they lived without electricity, which meant they could only use candles and they had no refrigerator.

Throughout this whole project Michelle tried to follow the rules because she knew it was what her husband wanted, but sometimes it was too hard for her. At times she became frustrated because she changed her life so drastically to make him happy, but when she brought up the subject of having another baby he would shut down her idea. Michelle thought that because she participated in his dream then he should help her with her dream. This documentary is a perfect example of who has control in a household. Beaven obviously made most of the decisions in the house and became self-centered on his project. He did not understand how frustrating and inconvenient the whole project really was. Together they were fantastic parents and equally took care of their child, but Beaven seemed to always be in control because he was the man of the house.