10 - No Impact Man & Surviving Progress

by Megan, Brianna and Liiwir

Introduction

We live in a society of consumers, where we always want more. We live to buy, and buy to live. “If everybody else does it, why shouldn’t we?” Everyday, garbage is thrown out, cars are driving, planes are flying, lights are on, fridges are cold, most of what should be recycled or thrown in a compost, isn’t; we are over-polluting the environment. The issue is profound, yet ignored by nearly everybody.

We think that when we throw something away, it just disappears, and no one cares after that. With no severe visual impact, most people fail to understand the consequences of their actions. We use excessive amounts of energy, overproduce waste and over consume.  Advertising and marketing target the consumers, making them feel a sense of entitlement to certain products, as though they are no longer something they want, but rather a necessity.

No Impact Man, Laura Gabbert & Justin Schein, 2009, USA, 93 min


 “No Impact Man” directed by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein follows Colin Beavan, along with his family, on their journey to save our planet and raise awareness. Colin didn’t want to wait for others to make a difference; he wished to be the change he wanted to see in the world. The Beavans lived a year, creating no “or very minimal” impact on the environment. They stopped using electricity (fridge, lights, etc.), relied on bikes for transportation, only bought local, unpackaged produce, used a cloth diaper for Isabella and did not use toilet paper. Colin and his family also refused to use laundry detergent, plastic bottles, cosmetics and the elevator. They composted, reduce the amount of clothes in their closets and did not eat out or have take out.

Though the challenge brought to attention their differences, as they often disagree during the film, it forced Colin and his wife Michelle to appreciate what they have and discover places to entertain themselves and their little girl, Isabella, in other ways than on a computer or by watching TV. Michelle mentions, “The days seem to just last forever.” They use their time efficiently, while exploring the outdoors and getting exercise.

Is the project realistic?

The family faced harsh, worldwide criticism. The media and Colin’s surroundings believed that his project was for attention and that he, alone, could not and will not make a difference in society. Others simply considered the family to be “dirty” or “crazy.” Many disagreed with Colin’s choices because it made them look bad and feel guilty.

http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/

He understood and accepted that it was virtually impossible to get everyone to live the way he did, making such extreme and significant changes to his life. Instead, his plan and goal was to inspire and educate. He hoped to fight ignorance and become a positive influence for the generations to come.

The film targets the audience on a personal note. It suggests different ways that slowly, everybody can improve their habits and consumer lifestyles. Though realistic and for the most part, unbiased, the documentary took form of a reality TV show, at times, addressing the couple’s personal problems about having a second child.

 Colin mentions that if there were one thing that he and his viewers could take from his “no impact” experiment, and pursue, it would be volunteering and participating in communal, environmental groups and organizations. Together, we can make a difference. Colin visited schools of which followed in his footsteps, changing their habits for a week.

Habit plays a great role in the difficulty we face when attempting to adjust our behavior. We fear change and are stuck in our own ways of living. Are the modern “conveniences” that we take for granted really making us happier? Or are they just eating away all of our future.

Myths are tales of which serve as answers to questions such as: What are our values? Why do we act the way we do as individuals? What is our role on this planet and our aim in life? What is our world's current state and how can we make a difference? These questions are answered through Colin Beavan's experiment as he presents the daily challenges we face and the consequences that our actions have on the environment. Colin directs his audience toward simple solutions and changes we can make to improve our future for the generations to come. 

A utopia refers to the idea of perfection; a perfect world/place. Colin Beavan desired a greener, more environmentally aware Utopian society. He desperately wishes to inspire and deliver a message to the world with hopes that one day we can work as one to change the direction we are headed in terms of pollution and the environment.

Surviving Progress, Mathieu Roy, 2011, Canada, 86 min

The documentary film, “Surviving Progress” by Mathieu Roy links the destruction of our planet to the over consumption of our natural resources for the manufacturing of short term disposable products in our global economic system. The filmmakers present interviews with credible experts

from different fields of study, documents areas and people directly affected by the destruction of the natural resources and uses images and music between interviews to reinforce the message of devastation and impending danger. The film’s message sends a strong warning to the viewers. The consequences of what the general public may believe is “progress” has led to an unforeseen environmental and economic disaster looming in our future. The earth’s natural resources and its ability to sustain life are limited and at risk. We cannot continue to hide our head in the sand.

The environmental crisis we are facing today is a direct result of what many experts describe as “progress traps”.  Ronald Wright, the best-selling author of, “ A Short History of Progress” whose book inspired the making of this film, describes how past civilizations were destroyed by "progress traps".  Progress traps are described as solutions to a problem that provide some short term benefit; they improve the quality of life in the short term but over time the progress leads to a dead-end. The long-term consequences of these progress traps are often disastrous.

The crisis we are facing today is a culmination of factors such as: the lack of understanding that our earth is a finite habitat and that its resources are limited, the limitations of the human mind to look at long-term consequences of short-term solutions also known as “progress traps”, the over-consumption of our natural resources for the purpose of manufacturing products, the effects of pollution created by manufacturing, the increase in demand for new and better products by the wealthier nations, excessive waste produced, the demands on resources due to over-population, demands on resources from China, whose middle class is increasing and is becoming a consumer like the West and Europe and finally the devastating effects of the financial power an oligarchy system that currently exist has over governments, legislation  as well as natural and human resources.

(Clip from Surviving Progress)

 Two specific example of how the theory presented in this film relates to an individual is presented with Chen Ming, a Chinese self-driving club tour guide in China and Raquel Taitso in Brazil.  Chen Ming describes how the quality of his life has improved within the last 20 years. With the changes in China’s economy he has developed a business driving the recently affluent Chinese on tours of their country. He describes that his selection of food he now enjoys is extensive and was not available 20 years ago.
Raquel Taitso, works in the environmental protection agency for Brazil. During the interview with Raquel, she explained the difficulties she faces with regards to protecting the forests from deforestation. The small farmer that is removing trees to farm for his family or a small logging company that is providing jobs to the community are fined or prevented from working, yet the government officials, who are often the wealthy land owners as well as international companies have the right to deforest acres of land for their own benefit with no consequences. The corruption within government and the control of international business in the natural resources of another country are clearly demonstrated.

The filmmaker demonstrated the impact to the environment by showing the devastation on a global scale. For example, the devastation to the Amazon Rainforest's can be seen from space, the destruction of large landmasses by mining is viewed from an airplane or helicopter shot and the unrest and rebellion in the Congo is demonstrates by panning the crowds from a distance. During the interviews, the filmmaker directs the camera directly at the people being interviewed. This gives the viewer the impression they are speaking directly to them. The filmmaker also uses music to emphasize an unspoken point. For example, circus music plays in the scene of the stock market, underlining the comparison that the stock market is like a circus. The count down of a street crossing emphasizes the count down of time remaining before it is too late to deal with the environmental crisis. The over consumption of products, the waste and pollution created, was clearly demonstrated throughout the film in the visual images presented between interviews. The image of mass production and packaging of products on an assembly line that just kept going spoke to the continual demand for new products.

The theory presented by the experts was backed up with evidence from scientific experiments, historical evidence and personal life experiences. The conclusion: society needs to change our behavior. In a utopian world we would be conscious of our finite world, protective of our natural and human resources and diligent in preserving the vitality of the health of our planet. Up until 1980, as described by Ronald Wright, the world was able to live off the interest of the resources, the  “Natural Capital”, which refers to the clean air, water, good farmland, fish and minerals. Since 1980 we are now using up the “Capital”, this means the resources are depleting quickly and there is no means to add to the “Capital”. Myths as defined by a set of values and beliefs that guide our communities did not adjust to the changing market with regards to over consumption, over demand of products and the resulting pollution. People where of the belief that there was a continuous supply of what we would need to live a healthy life on this planet. Society did not consider that this myth of an endless supply of resources no longer held true. Society truly had its, “head in the sand”. We need to reduce consumption, produce products that last, protect our natural resources and the environment or suffer the consequences. We need to re-evaluate our economic system and find long-term solutions to global problems. Jim Thomas, activist/author, “The New Biomaster”, sums it up with his suggestion that “we as a culture need to say good bye to the model we have used for the last 200 hundred years because it is not working. We need to find an alternative model for the way we live so that we can live within the limits of our resources and create a safe and healthy planet”.  Margret Atwood, author of “Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth”, describes the “finite sum” of the world. She clearly demonstrates with the use of her hands that the world’s size is not greater than it is and makes the analogy of how we are using nature as an endless bank and using a credit card that we can’t just keep drawing on that it can only withstand so much because it is finite. We have lived with the myth that our resources were limitless, however we are slowly realizing that is not the case. We need to keep it safe for the future so that we can stay alive. She warns us that unless we keep the earth healthy and alive there will be no economy.

"The world will never be this big"

Robert Wright, journalist, suggests that the Internet provides society with a unified social brain. We must make moral progress so that we can move forward as a civilization, towards a utopian society. Human nature may be limited by its animal mind and way of thinking, however with discipline, determination and education man can become enlightened.  Man has the opportunity to remake and reform himself to meet a new set of values and beliefs that will guide our communities.

A Personal Reflection Of The Two Films 

These two documentary films, “No Impact Man” by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein, and, “Surviving Progress” by Mathieu Roy, present the problems that society today is facing with regards

to sustainability of the planet and the depletion of Earth’s natural resources. In the documentary, “No Impact Man” Colin Beavan’s chronicles the day-to-day adjustments he and his family face in their decision to reduce their family’s carbon footprint for a year. In the documentary, “Surviving Progress” by Mathieu Roy, the film looks at the sustainability of the planet from a global perspective.  Both films reflect that we as humans always want more, we over consume, we are conditioned by marketing and advertising to want the newest and the latest product and we are currently a disposable society. As a society we do not consider what is involved in producing a product and what happens to it when we are finished with it.

Our only concern is the use of it while we feel it has value. The long-term consequences to the survival of the human species as well as the planet due to the over consumption of products and natural resources is a problem that needs to be addressed.   

In the documentary, “No Impact Man” by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein, the filmmakers’ clearly depicted the difficulties faced by Colin and his wife as well as the negative media attention they received from Colin’s daily blog describing their day-to-day life. The film demonstrated to the viewer different ways to reduce their overall consumption of products, energy and waste. The only negative aspect of the documentary was that at times it felt like a reality television show. For example, the discussion between Colin and his wife regarding whether or not they should have another child did not seem to be appropriate for the purpose of the film.

In the documentary, “Surviving Progress” by Mathieu Roy, the filmmaker clearly communicated to the viewer the risks regarding sustainability of our natural resources as well as the human and economic repercussions of continuing along the path that we are currently on. The use of credible experts in a variety of disciplines legitimized the content of the messages presented in the film. In addition, the use of background music, interviews and clips of the impact to the civilians in third world countries demonstrated the control of corporate giants and gave the viewers a sense of urgency that these problems need to be dealt with now. 

 The documentary, “No Impact Man” by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein, challenges our understanding of the world in that Colin displayed how one family’s over consumption of products, energy and excessive waste produced can be modified with changes first in attitude and then behavior. Each one of us can make a difference by making more environmentally informed choices. In addition, his efforts to show that changing your behavior does impact the environment, helps promote awareness of the environmental issues and at the same time encourages others to do the same, thereby creating a movement to change their behaviors regarding over consumption, excessive use of energy and over production of waste.

The documentary, “Surviving Progress” by Mathieu Roy, challenges our understanding of the world in that experts warn us of an impending environmental and economic disaster that is looming in our future. Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have made tremendous gains in technologically, but the question regarding the pay-off of “progress” is up for debate. Have the advancements in technology, really improved the quality of life? Or have they created a series of more serious problems?  We humans need to think of the future and consider the ramifications of the choices we make. Ethical and moral questions need to be addressed.  The historians describe how Rome had suffered similar economic difficulties and over use of the land to the point that researchers believe it took a thousand years to recover. The oligarchy currently dictates laws and controls financial institutions, especially in third world countries, exploiting their natural and human resources. Our desire for progress, the newest and latest gadgets at the lowest prices further perpetuate this model. Unfortunately the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The earth’s natural resources cannot sustain this current economic growth because it is limited and over-consumed. Globalization will result in a catastrophic pit fall, and we either need to solve it or suffer the consequences.

http://noimpactproject.org

Both documentaries, “No Impact Man” by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein and “Surviving Progress” by Mathieu Roy relate to all of us, as we are all inhabitants of this earth. Therefore, each one of us has the responsibility and the obligation to protect our resources, natural and human. “No Impact Man” relates to the viewer on a more personal level and, “Surviving Progress”, relates to the survival of the human race and the health of the planet, reflecting a more global perspective. Personally, I felt empowered by the little things that I could do to reduce my own carbon footprint and reduce the waste I personally produce. In addition, volunteering with community environmental groups is a great opportunity to work together and bring awareness, education and promote change in our attitudes and behavior. By personally living a greener life style, it impacts others to do the same. We can all make a difference if we work together towards the same goal, which is to protect our most precious resources, natural and human.

Conclusion

Both films, “Surviving Progress” by Mathieu Roy and “No Impact Man” by Colin Beavan address the environmental and global economic crisis facing civilization today. Our over-consumption of natural recourses to produce products that are either disposable of have a short life span in order to perpetuate the economy can only fail because we live on a finite planet with finite resources.

Colin Beavan looked at the problem from a personal perspective and demonstrated how he could change his life style to limit his consumption of products, limit waste and the use of energy on a day-to-day basis. His experiment demonstrates how one person’s choice to reduce consumption can influence others to do the same and that as a group the effect will produce a benefit. Surviving Progress, by Mathieu Roy looked at the same problem but on a global scale demonstrating the power of an oligarchy system to manipulate policy and deregulation for their own financial gain thereby  jeopardizing both the planet and the human race.