Pamela Hovland alerted us to a film to add to our list of must-see’s:  “No Impact Man”, a documentary about a NYC guy and his reluctant family to eliminate their impact on the environment for a year…They MUST have needed to improvise daily/hourly in order to keep up their commitment. Check out the trailer…”

Yikes! Just watching that short bit makes us realize how reliant/addicted we are upon so many things, as much as we try for good economies. And it sparks a lot of questions: Could we – would we- try such an experiment?

We invite your to send your improvs for these daily dilemmas:

1.  How would you do without toilet paper?

2.  In fact, how would you do without all paper?

3.  What if you have to travel a long distance to visit a sick friend, as I have to next week?  Hitch? Hop a freight?

4.  This guy lives in New York City. What about roaches? We can’t give up roach traps (plastic, and they really work) for a whole year.

What would be the right balance?

We’re definitely going to see this film and look forward to you ideas.

Here’s some reading from the New York Times.

AND here’s a great post from Core 77 about how Americans cut back during World War II. (Less fabric = a bikini!)

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One thought on “could you live as a ‘no impact man/woman’

  1. Thanks for the link. But I think that toilet paper is actually an easy part. In so many other countries they use a bidet or a water spray, and they’re so nice in so many ways than just paper — I sure miss them 🙂 But hopefully they will become a common item in the American home as well.
    I’ll def. check this movie out, I think I’ll like the wife 😉

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