Sustainable Bristol

No Impact Man

Posted on 02 September 2010

No toilet paper, no electricity, no problem?

A series of one-off screenings with Q&As of ‘No Impact Man’ are taking place UK wide on Tuesday 7th Sept – an extreme experiment in eliminating your environmental impact, this entertaining documentary certainly makes you think about the resources we use everyday.

Colin Beavan decides to completely eliminate his personal impact on the environment for the next year.

It means eating vegetarian, buying only local food, and turning off the refrigerator. It also means no elevators, no television, no cars, busses, or airplanes, no toxic cleaning products, no electricity, no material consumption, and no garbage……

No problem – at least for Colin – but he and his family live in the middle of Manhattan.

So when his espresso-guzzling, retail-worshipping wife Michelle and their two-year-old daughter are dragged into the fray, the No Impact Project has an unforeseen impact of its own.

Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein’s film provides an intriguing inside look into the experiment that became a national fascination and media sensation, while examining the familial strains and strengthened bonds that result from Colin and Michelle’s struggle with their radical lifestyle change.

You can find your nearest local screening on Tuesday 7th September here.

The Bath screening of No Impact Man at The Little Theatre, Bath, begins at 20:15, followed by a Q&A session with Paul Rainger, Head of Forum for the Future’s Sustainable West of England Programme, Sue Coppard from wwoof, and Rowena Quantrill from Climate Friendly Bradford.