Samuel van der Swaagh
House 2, Cohort 2
10/11/12
R & W: Response Paper #3
In the middle of No Impact Man, from chapters 5 to 7, Beavan goes through “life experiences” as a result of his project, but most of them have a common theme: while Beavan strives to reduce his carbon footprint, he is struggling to maintain his “family footprint.” Take for example, Beavan’s decision to eliminate some of his family vacations when he says “Goodbye, O excellent trip to Southern California in the winter. . . . Hello difficult conversation with Michelle.” In chapter 5, Beavan is contemplating whether or not he should sacrifice vacations, which all involve polluting the air by either trucking around in a car or flying in an airplane, in order to maintain the integrity of his experiment. Beavan, however, faces a challenge before he can follow through with this decision. He must first convince his wife that saving the planet is more important than spending time with the in-laws. Not only this, but Beavan must also confront the issue of dismissing himself from his sister’s baby shower. The point of this story demonstrates how the project first impacted his social life.
Also, consider Beavan’s time with his family during Christmas, when Beavan describes himself as preserving wrapping paper while others were excitedly tossing scraps into trash bin. While in the midst of reflecting on how the project is slowly turning him into a freak, Beavan starts to question his mindset: “Instead of just thinking, How do I live without harming the environment? I find myself asking: How shall I live?” The obstacle that Beavan faces constantly is the challenge of living a balanced life. Beavan’s quite aware of his little extremes, but he also realizes that society values a lifestyle that ultimately makes us hungry and environmentally destructive. Beavan comes to realize that the No Impact Man lifestyle is not just about the environment, but also community and social life.
Probably the most telling example of the project changing Beavan’s way of living is when he decides to go local and organic, and throws the TV away. During the middle of chapter 6, Beavan describes how his new lifestyle has positively changed his family by referring to “the fact that the kitchen table, not the TV, has become the center of our lives.” Before the Beavan’s family dived into the project, everyone was so consumed by the TV that no one seemed to have time to cook a meal or buy fresh produce. Ever since the TV left the household, the family has spare time for cooking, shopping and developing and building stronger family bonds.
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Submitted Version of 10/11/12:
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