My woman and environmentalism class watched No Impact Man
the other day in class. The movie had an interesting take on being environmentally
impact free in an environment like New York City, which at first seems
ridiculous. The mass majority of people who knew of the movement that the main
male character Colin was doing were extremely critical of it; some said he wouldn’t
be able to maintain and some claimed it was foolish.
His goal was to live
impact free by not using electric, prepackaged items, learning to plant
vegetables, buying used clothes, not using the elevator and just living off the
grid in general. The film showed how Colin the father and main character pushed
this no impact life style on his family, and how it was difficult for all of
them to adjust to the changes. His wife Michelle had the hardest time adjusting
because she was use to buying expensive clothing and drinking her fancy coffees.
There were many interesting role reversals in the film that highlighted the
struggles they endured. One aspect of their lifestyle that was especially
different was that Colin was the stay at home parent who would do the grocery
shopping and the raising of their daughter while his wife was at work.
