A couple of weeks ago I was reading the Young House Love Blog and came across a post about minimizing the impact we have on the environment. They mentioned a documentary called No Impact Man, and I instantly knew I had to check it out. Turns out the film was available to watch instantly on Netflix (love when that happens!) so I watched it and LOVED it!
The film follows Colin Beavan as he “turns off the electricity, stops making garbage, gives up TV, taxis and take-out and becomes a walking, bicycling, composting, tree hugging, polar bear saving, local food eating citizen all while taking his baby daughter and caffeine loving, retail-obsessed, television-addicted wife along with him.”
You can check out the trailer here.
I have been trying to incorporate green methods into my day-to-day living so that I can do my share to preserve God’s Green Earth so that my kids and grandkids don’t live in a totally depleted and depressing world someday. I mean when you think about the amount of stuff that you use, waste, consume and throw away every day and multiply it by nearly 6 billion, it just starts to blow your mind. (or it does for me anyway)
So here I have been patting myself on the back for using cloth grocery bags and eating whole foods and the Beavan family gets FULLY COMMITTED for an entire year! Kinda puts my efforts into perspective. Now I’m not planning to give up toilet paper or electricity for any length of time, but this story inspired me. It made me realize that every little bit helps and that there is always more that I can do.
My next step is to make a list of the things in my life that I want to change so that I have some guidelines to help me on my way. I’m pretty sure I’ll include the changes I’ve already made (because I’m the type of person that will add “to do’s” — that I’ve already done — to my list just so that I can check them off and feel more accomplished :)
I’ve been totally into people’s personal stories, tips and even recipes that I find myself talking the hind leg off of every tree hugger I meet! So, have you made any lifestyle changes that benefit the planet? Do you have any consumerist habits that you’d love to break?
Johne382 says
Hello there, i am interested ecadfgbaeaed
Rebecca Gould says
Thanks for stopping by and commenting everyone! So glad that people are getting excited about taking care of the planet!
Christina Vasher says
I have never heard of the movie, but I will be sure to find it on netflix! I had gone green totally about 3 years ago…I was cleaning the shower and some of the fumes got in my eye,it was pretty serious and painful! On the way home from the eye doctor, I made the commitment to change out all my cleaners to green. and I also in the process changed all my makeup to natural or mineral. It made me sick when I started to read about what was going into makeup,and especially lipstick, which we consume…I wrote a paper on cleaning green is summer for an english class, I inspired her, which I thought was really cool, but I also learned a few things! My two hardest green cleaning is dryer sheets (which my husband will not give up) and my hard wood floors….these were two great websites I found…
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-clean-green
http://www.mamashealth.com/doc/cleanprod.asp
I would love to start eating more organic,which you have inspired me ;) so keep it coming,lol…
I recycle EVERYTHING! My husband even cut to top off of a lawn bag, for all the paper/cardboard because that was the one thing we always have the most of, much easier!
Mom:) says
I love it that you are inspiring me to do more! Since I teach about recycling and saving our planet I have been more conscious myself. Lately I have been using dried beans rather than canned to help use less cans, and I think they are healthier too… You have to plan a little ahead but I soak and boil: kidney, black, lentils and I recently bought chi chi beans (I do need to perfect changing them from their hard state though). I have a long way to go but I am anxious to find more things I can do. Just think if we all did even a few small things what a difference we would make!!! Hi Carrie, great to see you on Rebecca's blog!
Anonymous says
I love it that you are inspiring me to do more! Since I teach about recycling and saving our planet I have been more conscious myself. Lately I have been using dried beans rather than canned to help use less cans, and I think they are healthier too… You have to plan a little ahead but I soak and boil: kidney, black, lentils and I recently bought chi chi beans (I do need to perfect changing them from their hard state though). I have a long way to go but I am anxious to find more things I can do. Just think if we all did even a few small things what a difference we would make!!! Hi Carrie, great to see you on Rebecca's blog!
Andy Gould says
By the way, I do need to watch this documentary with you, but I'm glad that you do not expect us to go electricity free. And as the one who takes the garbage out every week, I would not mind at all if we found creative ways to lessen that load! Thanks for being an inspiration to me in this whole process. Knowing me I would have just been apathetic about fighting for our planet, but it is becoming more and more important to me. I love you my soon to be tree hugger wife!
Carrie leverett says
Rebecca this is ssooooo werid you are writing about this. I just watched this movie on netflix last week ( because I was bored and wanted to find something on netflix to watch) and I choose no impact man. I loved the movie! Last night I just watched again with my boyfriend so he could see this idea this man is trying to get out.
What's even more weird is that the last Internet search on my phone was from this morning when i googled where to get the book from. Thus when I clicked in your facebook link it took me to the same picture of the book I had just had up.
Anyways I'm glad you liked it too. He really made me think into what I can do more and I definantly want to get more pple to see this film. An possibly read the book. Lol
Anyways I will def be on the lookout for ur blogging and also congrats with grace So exciting! It crAzy to think of you as a mom when my most prominent moment of you is you taking Ellen and I to the nsync concert. That was def awhile ago.
:)