I finally saw No Impact Man… only came out in 2009, not bad right?
There’s not a whole lot to say about it… I definitely went into it jaded and hoping that I would learn something- it ended up exceeding my expectations for sure.
He knew what he was talking about- he understood that plastics recycling is not the end of our responsibilities, as plastics are fluctuating commodities and most of them aren’t recycled anyway. He understood the importance of composting, biking, and satisfaction through reduction.
What I related to the most were the scenes that focused on him questioning the whole point of the project- Who cares? Does anyone care? What’s the point?
Anyone that digs into environmental issues will have this wash of emotions hit them in the head from time to time. It reminded me of Plastic Free when Beth Terry talks about how she started getting wasted more often the more she learned- I can relate.
From the start, I was curious if he was going to create a compost toilet system or if he’d go with worm composting like apartment dwellers often feel limited to. He went with the worms, and while there were several positive scenes showing them doing their thing, he ended up having bug infestations and didn’t show if he solved them.
A vinegar and dish soap trap usually does it, and they’re totally necessary as you will at some point have bugs- it’s a natural ecosystem and they’re part of it.
I loved the pot-in-pot refrigerator… I’ve never seen anyone do it, I’ve only heard about it. Therefore, I think that’s what I’m going to learn more about next. It seemed like the family gave up on it really quickly in the movie.
I think that’s my major takeaway from this- don’t simply talk about something, or even just read about something- just try something. Failing sucks (kind of), but at the end of the day the only way you’ll really understand your perspectives is by just trying stuff out.
I suck at cooking- but I’ve seen time and time again how people have made their meals from bulk bins with no problem. Time to start cringing while I get better at cooking. I made the worst meal the other day, but it got my gears turning on how to make it better tonight and I felt it start tuning my taste buds to know when something needs a little more of this and a little less of that.
My juicing regimen is plastic and packaging free, so why not make my food that way? Sure, I could say I don’t have time blah blah blah, but that’s always the excuse, isn’t it?
Like another opinion needs to be heard regarding No Impact Man… I got tired of being asked if I saw it and that kept me from seeing it…how stupid is that.
Anyway, any negative critique of it is simply close-minded people projecting their own insecurities onto him and his family.
If someone can’t understand that humanity is the problem and that we’re not important besides the pollution we create, which results in the destruction of our planet…well, take his advice and go try something new.
Kudos, No Impact Family- you made a hell of an impact.
