Discussion and Resource Guide For NO IMPACT MAN

Discussion and Resource Guide For

NO IMPACT MAN

By Colin Beavan Bowling Green State University’s 2011 – 2012 Common Reading Experience Selection

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 2 ABOUT THE BOOK ............................................................................................ 2 ABOUT THE AUTHOR ......................................................................................... 2 COLIN’S SIX GUIDELINES FOR A LOW IMPACT LIFE ................................................. 3 QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION & DISCUSSION ................................................... 4 SAMPLE PROMPTS FOR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS ................................................... 10 SELECT ONLINE RESOURCES ........................................................................... 11 CRITICAL REACTIONS TO NO IMPACT MAN (IN BRIEF) ............................................ 13 WORKS CONSULTED ...................................................................................... 14

Cover Image taken from: http://www.unifiedmanufacturing.com/blog/how-musicians-can-pomote-the-greenmovement/

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INTRODUCTION This Discussion and Resource Guide was compiled as a resource for faculty associated with the University Honors Program at Bowling Green State University who are teaching the 2011 Common Reading Experience selection, Colin Beavan’s No Impact Man. The resources included below are not “original,” but rather were pulled together from the numerous online resources that exist on this book, its author, and the No Impact phenomenon. The intention was to pare down as much as possible the wealth of available resources to those websites and pieces of information that might prove most valuable to our faculty given the learning outcomes of the University Honors Program specifically and Bowling Green State University generally. These resources are not presented as the only ways to approach the teaching of No Impact Man, but rather are offered as inspiration and/or jumping off points for in-class and online discussions, writing assignments, and other activities/events that you might plan for your classes. Happy reading!

ABOUT THE BOOK What would your life look like if you made a commitment to have zero impact on the environment? Self-proclaimed guilty liberal Colin Beavan tackled this question in his own life, embarking on a yearlong experiment that affected his wife, their toddler, and even the family dog. They nixed takeout food to avoid reams of wasteful packaging; walked or rode bicycles; used no electricity in their apartment—no TV, no home Internet access, no air-conditioning, no refrigerator, no brightly lit living room late at night; bought seasonal, local groceries that carried the smallest possible carbon footprint; switched to cloth diapers; and otherwise reinvented twentieth century living.

By turns poignant and provocative, No Impact Man reports on the surprising results of this journey, with inspiring words for anyone who has ever wondered what difference “just one person” can make.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR “Colin Beavan is a liberal schlub who got tired of listening to himself complain about the world without ever actually doing anything about it.”

In 2006, author Colin Beavan, a newly selfproclaimed environmentalist, could no longer avoid pointing the finger at himself. He left behind his liberal complacency for a vow to make as little environmental impact as possible for one year. No more automated transportation, no more electricity, no more non-local food, no more material consumption...no problem. That is, until his espresso-guzzling, retail-worshipping wife Michelle and their two year-old daughter are dragged into the fray! What would it be like to try to live a noimpact lifestyle? Could it catch on? Is living this way more satisfying or less satisfying? These are the questions at the heart of his endeavor, through which Page |2

Colin hopes to explain to the rest of us how we can realistically live a more "ecoeffective" and, by turns, more content life.

Colin's experiment became the subject of his provocative, award-wining blog noimpactman.com (one of Time magazine's Top 15 environmental blogs), his book No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life Along the Way (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), and a Sundance-selected documentary by the same name. His story provided a narrative vehicle by which he could attract broad public attention to the range of pressing environmental crises including: food system sustainability, climate change, water scarcity, and materials and energy resource depletion.

Following the release of the book and the film, Colin founded the No Impact Project, an international environmental non-profit dedicated to empowering citizens to make choices which better their lives and lower their environmental impact through lifestyle change, community action, and participation in environmental politics.

Colin's work has been the subject of stories in the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, and many other national and international news outlets.

Colin has appeared on The Colbert Report, Good Morning America, Nightline, The Montel Show, and all the major NPR shows. He speaks regularly to a wide variety of international audiences, including businesses, universities, and community groups.

Colin has received numerous awards and accolades. He was named one of MSN's "Ten Most Influential Men," chosen as an "Eco-Illuminator" by Elle magazine, and was the Editor of Treehugger.com's selection for "Best Green Ambassador." The New York City's Lower East Side Ecology Center has named him an "Eco-Star."

Colin has his PhD in electrical engineering (University of Liverpool). He spent the late 80's and early 90's as a consultant to philanthropic organizations such as social housing providers, drug treatment agencies and hospitals, helping them to promote themselves in order to secure increasingly scarce, Thatcher-era funding. In 1992 he returned to the United States and wrote for magazines until Hyperion published his first book Fingerprints: The Origins of Crime Detection and the Murder Case that Launched Forensic Science (a popular history of criminology) in 2001. In 2006, Viking published his second book, Operation Jedburgh: D-Day and America's First Shadow, which focused on the operation that formed the precedent for U.S. antiSoviet operations in Afghanistan. He is a visiting scholar at NYU, an advisor to the University's Sustainability Task Force, sits on the board of directors of New York City's Transportation Alternatives, and on the advisory council of Just Food.

COLIN’S SIX GUIDELINES FOR A LOW IMPACT LIFE SAVE THE WORLD BY IMPROVING YOUR DIET. Cutting beef out of your diet will reduce your CO2 emissions by 2,400 pounds annually.

GET YOUR DRINKING WATER FOR FREE. Giving up 1 bottle of imported water means using up one less liter of fossil fuel and emitting 1.2 pounds less of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

OBSERVE AN ECO‐SABBATH. Don’t buy anything, don't use any machines, don't switch on anything electric, don't cook, don't answer your phone, and, in general, don't use any resources. Do it for a whole day each week to cut your impact by 14.4% a year.

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TITHE A FIXED PERCENTAGE OF YOUR INCOME. If an average family contributes 1% ($502.33) of their annual income ($50,233) to an environmental non-profit, they could offset 40.7 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

GET THERE UNDER YOUR OWN STEAM. If you can stay off the road and ride your bike or walk just two days a week, you'll reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1,590 pounds per year and get good, healthy exercise and we'll all breathe fewer fumes.

COMMIT TO ECO‐SERVICE. Take time off from television watching each week and join with others to improve our planet. Spend three fewer hours each day sitting in front of your plasma television and you will reduce your carbon emissions by 550 pounds each year.

QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION & DISCUSSION While Beavan’s No Impact Man lends itself to discussions in any number of types of classes, the book can be especially useful as a model of both weak- and strong-sense critical thinking. The questions below can be used to facilitate in-class and/or online discussions among students enrolled in your Introduction to Critical Thinking classes, but they also can be useful points of departure for longer academic essays, short response/reflection essays, journal entries, and microthemes. Questions are grouped topically with the general subject matter of each section indicated at the beginning of each section in the green-shaded line.

What Are the Issue and the Concluion? What Are the Reasons?

At the beginning of the No Impact experiment, Colin Beavan asks, “Is it true that a guy like me can’t make a difference? Or am I just too lazy or frightened to try?” What answers to these questions did he come up with by the end of the book? Which of the family’s actions made the most significant impact?

Beavan clearly does not intend his book as a program for change—that is, he does not suggest that others do what he did. What, then, is he recommending? Is he recommending anything at all? And what difference does he think it will make?

The most remarkable thing about this story is that it winds up being less about the things the author hoped to achieve at the start, and more about the experience of living that life once it started. Is there a broader message or meaning in this, quite apart from environmental concerns?

What Words or Phrases Are Ambiguous?

Beavan ponders the dilemma of “stuff.” He asserts that the acquisition of “stuff” to bring happiness into our lives is a vicious cycle: “We work our butts off so we can get the stuff, but the making of the stuff destroys the planet, which makes us more depressed, so we think we need more stuff to cheer us up, so we work even harder” (142). What makes you happy? Is your happiness dependent on “stuff”? Could you be just as happy with less “stuff”?

Beavan devotes a lot of his project to questioning quality of life—what makes someone happy. How would you define a “good quality of life?” What are you looking for in your life?

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Does Beavan’s approach hurt the image of people concerned with saving the planet?

Does it encourage people to view those concerned with protecting the environment as toilet-paper-hating extremist “freaks”?

Is there such a thing as a lifestyle that makes no impact on the environment? How much impact is too much? How much personal obligation do we each have in reducing our individual carbon footprints?

What Are the Value Conflicts and Assumptions?

Who has the greater responsibility in addressing climate change and pollution: the government or individuals? How can individuals most effectively help usher in change, locally and at the federal level? What does No Impact Man teach us about persuading nay-sayers?

By urging people to reorder their lives in order to save the planet, does Beavan to some degree seem to absolve government and industry of their responsibilities towards the environment?

Beavan runs into many situations in No Impact Man regarding the profusion of packaging waste: paper or plastic at the grocery store, paper plates at the pizza joint, delivery in Styrofoam clamshells. How much packaging waste do you accumulate?

How does your community manage landfills and recycling programs? Should it be up to individuals, businesses, or governments to reduce waste?

The Beavan family spends a lot of time considering where all their stuff—especially packaging and anything disposable—comes from and goes to during manufacturing and after it gets tossed away. How much do you know about the origins of your stuff?

Has this knowledge caused you to change your buying habits?

Beavan suggests that individual actions often result in not just an “I” problem, but a “we” problem. For example, he noted “now that I have disposed of my throwaway products, you see, my convenience has become the entire race’s inconvenience” (47).

What is our obligation to others? What impact do your individual actions have on a larger community?

Beavan decides that he wants his work to align with his values (11). Is it important for your work and career to be in alignment with your values? What careers and occupations would be good fits for you and your value system?

At the start of his project, Beavan realizes, “I had never changed my life to live in accord with my values. This was going to be hard” (20). College often presents many situations when values are tested, and it is also a time when values and beliefs are shaped. What are some of your current values? How will you handle the “testing” of your values as a college student?

What Are the Descriptive Assumptions?

Beavan feels incredibly overwhelmed with his experiment and shares some of the aspects that were most difficult for his family (190-191). Why does he feel the need to share this with the reader? What implications does it have for a larger message?

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What is the role of Beavan’s wife in the story? Consistently she is presented as less enthusiastic for each change as it is suggested, but a more enthusiastic booster for it after it happens. What do we make of this?

Why does Beavan put the incident concerning his daughter's illness in the book?

What does it have to do with the rest of the story?

This worked in New York City: On the one hand, that's remarkable, because NYC seems so "plugged in" to the grid. On the other hand, as Beavan himself points out, NYC also has a lot of ancillary services nearby that allow for easy substitutes and access to alternative food sources, etc. Would a project like Beavan's have been more difficult in, say, rural Vermont? Or in Bowling Green, Ohio? Would it have been less necessary there?

There is a spiritual element to Beavan’s plan. Is it necessary to embrace a nonWestern philosophy (such as Buddhism) in order to make the changes necessary to save the planet?

Beavan’s no impact plan seems to require the expenditure of great amounts of time and effort on his part. Beavan, however, is a relatively privileged man compared to most Americans. He seems to have a good income and is self-employed. Would it be possible for someone who has less money and is unable to control how he/she spends his/her time each and every day (the majority of Americans) to do the same things that Beavan does?

Part of Beavan’s plan involves not buying anything new. Is this realistic? Would the average American be willing to do this? Could the average American do this? What would happen to the economy if the majority of Americans actually did this?

Beavan often consults his personal Rabbi and his teachers at the Kwan Um School of Zen to give “philosophical and religious perspectives on the No Impact project” (260).

What connection does Beavan see between living sustainably and leading a spiritual and/or moral life? Do you agree or disagree with his perspective?

To what extent is Beavan’s desire to save the planet connected to a romantic view of the past—both our common, historical past and his own personal past?

How Good Is the Evidence?

Although Beavan’s previous books have nothing to do with saving the planet, there is a common thread in all his work: it showcases extensive research. Browse the notes at the back of No Impact Man. What do they indicate about the amount of information currently available on the importance of environmentalism? Does the Information Age make it easier or harder to learn the facts and promote the cause?

Beavan discusses the conflicting sources of information on what actions are best for the environment (22). Why is it such a challenge to sort out this information? How can we determine what information is accurate and not just the work of “spin merchants”?

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Are There Rival Causes?

Why is Beavan’s plan linked to other lifestyle changes such as giving up television? Is Beavan suggesting that people need to change their entire lifestyle in order to save the planet?

Why is Colin Beavan motivated to become No Impact Man? What do you think his goals were for writing this book? What do you think he hoped to accomplish?

How does the memoir style affect the story? What impact does the overall writing style have on your reading?

At first, Beavan’s wife, Michelle, is a reluctant partner in the No Impact experiment.

Discuss her transformation. Why do her attitudes change over the course of the year?

How would the project have been different if Beavan had tried it solo?

Why do you think this book was chosen for the Common Reading Experience? Do you think it is a good choice? Why or why not?

In Chapter 4, Beavan discusses the challenges of self-restraint. Why is it so challenging to eat healthy? To put in the extra effort to improve our lives? Do you think your eating habits will change as you make the transition to campus?

Why do you think people get complacent about social problems like the environment, poverty, and disease? What causes people to not do anything? What can change this complacency?

Why do you suppose so many people focused on the "toilet paper" issue instead of the goals or methods of the project as a whole? Is it because the toilet paper question was so very interesting? And why do you think people asking about the “toilet paper” issue made/makes Bevan so angry?

Throughout the book Beavan mentions the criticism he received on his journey to achieve no impact. Why do you think the media and individuals reacted in such a negative way?

What Significant Information Is Omitted?

What do you think helps the author get through the rough times of the project, when he doubts himself and what he’s doing? How does he overcome this doubt and frustration? What character traits help him to succeed?

Beavan’s experiment is similar to Henry David Thoreau’s sojourn to Walden Pond in the mid-nineteenth century. Is it human nature to want a simpler life (Thoreau craved it before the Industrial Revolution), or is it natural to want to be a consumer? What difference did it make when Thoreau decided to remove himself from society, while Beavan consciously remained an active part of his community? How would the No Impact experiment look in a rural location? What were the challenges and benefits of performing the experiment in New York City?

What Reasonable Conclusions Are Possible?

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Upon completion of the book, what did you think of Beavan’s quest? Did he accomplish what he hoped to? Do you agree with his method? Will it make a difference? Why or why not?

Did Isabelle have a harder or easier time than her parents in adjusting to the No Impact lifestyle? Did the perspective of a child make the project more challenging, or less? Would you consider transporting your child by bike or on foot? What would the world be like for Isabelle’s generation if all parents set the No Impact example?

Colin and his wife struggle at times to see eye-to-eye on the project’s rules, especially in the beginning. How much do you think we can change other people? How can this affect relationships?

Colin and Michelle run into friction with their respective families for proposing that flying for twice-yearly visits is too carbon intense. Colin’s sister is especially rankled to learn that her brother won’t be at her baby shower. Are they right to be mad? Have your own actions and principles, environmental or otherwise, ever gotten you in trouble with people you care about? How have family expectations changed since the rise of interstate highways and the airline industry?

What can BGSU do to become more environmentally friendly?

Will Beavan’s “extreme” approach to green living attract people? Will Beavan’s approach discourage people from taking less drastic but still helpful measures (like taking public transportation instead of driving cars) to save the planet?

Beavan often runs into systemic and structural challenges when trying to reduce his impact on the environment. He notes, “Our system makes it virtually impossible to get the things we want and need without leaving behind a trail of trash and pollution and greenhouse gases” (65). What could we do to make it easier for people? What would give people the incentive to change?

What Have You Learned From Reading No Impact Man? Beavan makes lots of sacrifices throughout the project. What sacrifices have you made to come to college? What sacrifices have you made in the past that have had an impact on your life?

Colin Beavan makes lots of changes and adjustments to his lifestyle during this “lifestyle experiment” and afterward as he goes back to “normal” life. What changes and adjustments will you have to make in coming to college? What challenges do you anticipate in this transition?

At the beginning of the experiment, Colin decides that he wants to figure things out for himself and flounder along. In what ways can this approach be good and bad—to his experiment, to life, to coming to college?

At times throughout the experiment, Beavan slips up and breaks the rules and feels like a failure. Is failure just as important as success? Why or why not? Give an example from your life.

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Throughout Colin’s experiment, he is forced to problem solve and find creative solutions to obstacles. What are steps you normally take in solving a problem?

Discuss a recent time when you feel like you successfully solved a problem.

Beavan’s experiment took green living to an extreme. If you were to choose just a few of his actions to implement in your own life, what would they be? Which conveniences or behaviors should society change in order to reduce our collective environmental impact? And why?

Beavan traces much of our wasteful culture back to consumerism and the “hedonic treadmill,” the notion that there is always something better out there than what was just purchased. Can you identify purchases or habits in your own life that fit this psychological profile? What consumer products truly improve your life? What are the true necessities? What could you do without altogether?

For most people, giving up a car would be a complicated life change. No Impact Man aspires to give up all fossil-fuel transportation. What would be your biggest adjustments if you sold your car, gave up taxis, buses, trains, and planes, and commuted entirely by bike or on foot? What would spur you to do this? What would the drawbacks be?

If you were to do an archeological study of your daily trash accumulation, what would it say about you?

Food plays a major role in this story. How much of the food you eat is locally grown?

Organic? Processed? Did No Impact Man inspire you to change your eating and drinking habits?

As a result of his experience, Beavan started his own organization, the No Impact Project. Are you inspired to get involved? What organizations might you get involved in?

Currently, what is your most important “cause”? What issue are you committed to and why?

How much are you willing to sacrifice for a greater good—environmentally, politically, and economically? What changes, if any, do you want to see in these areas?

Beavan begins his experiment because he feels that he is “all talk and no action.” How important do you think it is to live by what you “preach”? To what extent do you do this?

What is your answer to the final line in No Impact Man, “So what are you going to do?”

(224)?

The author approaches his experiment in a practical way, but he is also very philosophical and spiritual, asking lots of deep, reflective questions. How often do you participate in self-reflection and deep thought? Do you think this is important? Why or why not?

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SAMPLE PROMPTS FOR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS No Impact Man lends itself quite readily to many different types of writing assignments—from blog posts to letters to the editor to personal journals to reflection essays and more formal researched essays. Below are a sample of different approaches to building writing assignments around this work of non-fiction. These assignments can be used as-is or modified to fit particular course/program learning outcomes. They also might be used as inspiration for entirely original writing assignments designed by you.

1. Beavan's memoir is dotted with specific, powerful moments in his life that helped shape his beliefs (the Isabella ones immediately come to my mind). Describe a moment in your life that permanently changed you and helped shape you into who you are today. Be specific and honest.

2. "Knowing how to live is not something we have to teach children. Knowing how to live is something we have to be careful not to take away from them" (87). Discuss what we can learn from children about living.

3. "If it's not about getting more and more stuff and more and more technology, then what is it [this rat race] for?" (160). Beavan explores the meaning of life in his memoir a lot. In your opinion and experience, what is the point of this life? Support your assertions with specific illustrations from your own experience.

4. Use writing, poetry, song, dance, film, photography, art, collage, theatre, and/or another medium of creative expression to answer the question, “What does No Impact Man mean to me?”

5. Practice writing your own memoir. Choose an experience or event of significance in your life. Write a three- or four-page narrative telling the details of this event and its impact on you then and now. Your tone can be humorous, serious, insightful, etc.

6. Read the newspaper or watch the news, looking for current events about environmental issues. Identify one issue about which you feel very strongly and write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper clearly articulating your beliefs on the issue.

7. Calculate your carbon footprint by visiting the following website: http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/. Once you have done so, write a reflection essay on the results and propose ways to decrease your personal carbon footprint.

8. Find out who your Congressman/woman is and write him or her a letter to argue for your position on a current issue. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about the environment.

9. Analyze your own trash for one week. How much is there? What is there? Are you recycling? What does this say about you and your habits? Do you want to make changes? If so, what?

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10. Research how BGSU approaches sustainability and topics from the book, such as waste management, use of resources (electricity, water, etc), food, transportation, etc.

Then, write up a report in which you not only document and explain your findings, but also suggest any changes that you think need to be made to make BGSU an even “greener” campus.

11. Choose one item from the list on “Colin’s Six Guidelines for a Low Impact Life” or another issue from the book. For one week, commit to making changes in this area (i.e. giving up TV, eating locally, biking, cutting down on electricity, etc.). Keep a journal for each day of your experiment, chronicling the experience and its effect(s) on you.

12. Identify your favorite passage from the book. Then, in an essay, explain why this passage is your favorite and what significance it holds for you as a reader and a global citizen.

13. Read Dan Gainor’s article, “Serving Up Liberal Gobbledygook to Incoming Freshmen,” several times. (Linked below in “Select Online Resources”) Then, write an essay in which you respond to Gainor’s argument. Consider the validity of his claims, as well as any potential biases that might impact Gainor’s argument. Do you agree with his assessment of how (and why) colleges and universities are “using” books like No Impact Man to indoctrinate college freshman? Why or why not? Given your responses to Gainor’s argument, do you think that No Impact Man is an “appropriate” choice for a first-year Common Reading Experience program?

SELECT ONLINE RESOURCES General Resources The No Impact Project http://noimpactproject.org/ The No Impact Blog http://noimpactman.typepad.com/ Interviews with Colin Beavan Video Interview @ CBS http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5364002n Video Interview @ Treehugger.com http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/05/green-festival-chicago-lennox-yearwoodinterviews-no-impact-man-colin-beavan.php Video Interview on The Colbert Report http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/252016/october-082009/colin-beavan Print Interview @ Grist http://www.grist.org/article/2009-09-27-no-impact-man-talks-about-how-to-makean-impact P a g e | 11

Print Interview @ Examiner http://www.examiner.com/movies-in-atlanta/colin-beavan-interview-the-no-impactman-talks-climate-change-fatherhood-and-the-cove Print Interview @ Cinema Blend http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Exclusive-Interview-No-Impact-Man-ColinBeavan-14736.html Audio Interview @ Yes Magazine http://www.yesmagazine.org/multimedia/yes-audio/interview-with-201cno-impactman201d-colin-beavan Book Reviews of No Impact Man Book Review @ The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/books/review/Jacobs-t.html Book Review @ The New Yorker http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2009/08/31/090831crat_atlarge_kol bert Book Review @ The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/09/25/AR2009092501500.html Book Review @ Bloomberg Businessweek http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/sep2009/bw2009092_246468.htm Book Review @ Mother Nature Network http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/no-impact-man-freedom-fromtoilet-paper-and-other-more-important-stuff Miscellaneous Media Coverage “The Year Without Toilet Paper” http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/22/garden/22impact.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&adxn nlx=1309878030-dD8qLXG1rMWfPoei1dxZVQ “No Impact Man—A Year Off the Grid” http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8480588 “Nightline Extra—No Impact Man” http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4280524 “The Year of Living Environmentally” http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9479796 “Serving Up Liberal Gobbledygook to Incoming Freshmen” http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/serving-up-liberal-gobbledygook-toincoming-freshmen/blog-377105/

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“The Harsh Realities of Energy” http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/the_harsh_realities_of_energy/ No Impact Man: The Documentary Film No Impact Man Documentary Trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9Ctt7FGFBo No Impact Man Documentary Official Site http://www.noimpactdoc.com/index_m.php

CRITICAL REACTIONS TO NO IMPACT MAN (IN BRIEF) Marion Nestle, author of What to Eat “A riveting account of the year in which Colin Beavan and his wife attempted to do what most of us would consider impossible. What might seem inconvenient to the point of absurdity instead teaches lessons that all of us need to learn. We as individuals can take action to address important social problems. One person can make a difference.”

Booklist “From their first baby steps (no takeout) to their giant leap (no toilet paper), the Beavans’ experiment in ecological responsibility was a daunting escapade in going green . . . So fervent as to make Al Gore look like a profligate wastrel, Beavan’s commitment to the cause is, nonetheless, infectiously inspiring and uproariously entertaining.”

Kirkus Reviews “An inspiring, persuasive argument that individuals are not helpless in the battle against environmental degradation and global warming.”

Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy “There’s something of Thoreau in Colin Beavan’s great project—but a fully engaged, connected, and right-this-minute helpful version. We’re at a moment when we need to have as little impact in our own lives as possible—and as much impact in our political lives as we can possibly muster. Beavan shows how!”

Juliet B. Schor, Professor of Sociology, Boston College, and author of the forthcoming Plenitude: Economics for an Age of Ecological Decline “Millions of Americans are now asking how their lifestyles are affecting the planet. If you’re one of them, Colin and Michelle’s remarkable odyssey through a year of shrinking their ecological footprint is an engrossing must-read. You’ll discover how what you eat, switch on, and throw out matters, but more important, how they found a much richer and happier life. Hop into the rickshaw for a hilarious, smartly informative, and deeply moving ride.”

Rachael Maddux, Paste “No Impact Man has become a hub of information, discussion and debate . . . Expect [the book] to make a huge impact of its own.”

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Annie Leonard, The Story of Stuff “The No Impact Experiment changed Colin and reading No Impact Man will change you.”

RESOURCES CONSULTED No Impact Man Activities and Assignments http://www.uncw.edu/commonreading/documents/NIMactivitiesandassignments.pdf Clarity: Reflections and Reactions to the Written Word http://gahanseniors.blogspot.com/2010/10/no-impact-man-final-writingassignment.html No Impact Man Reader’s Guide from UNCW http://www.uncw.edu/commonreading/documents/NoImpactManReadersGuide.UNC W.022610.pdf Colin Beavan Biography www.colinbeavan.com/bio.php No Impact Week—Events and Resources @ UNCW http://www.uncw.edu/commonreading/NoImpactManresourcepage.htm One Book, One College: Common Reading Programs http://homepages.gac.edu/~fister/onebook.html Green as a Thistle http://greenasathistle.com/ News and Blogs @ LaGuardia Community College http://www.laguardia.edu/ait/news.htm Common Theme @ IUPUI http://www.iupui.edu/common_theme/Get_engaged/No_impact/ TreeHugger’s Official Discussion and Resource Guide to No Impact Man http://noimpactproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/noimpactman_rgg.pdf No Impact Man Reader’s Guide http://www.sc.edu/fyre/docs/NIMReadersGuide-2011.pdf No Impact Man: Discussion/Journal Questions and Writing Prompts http://www.uncw.edu/commonreading/documents/NIMdiscussionquestions.pdf BGSU: A Student’s Guide to Living Green http://www.bgsu.edu/downloads/bgsu/file81497.pdf

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