Barbarian Man
Consumerism in America has taken over. The film No Impact Man shows the journey of history writer Collin Beavan trying to lead a no impact life. He goes to many extremes to show how bad the pollution on our earth has gotten and as one man what he wants to do to change it. From completely cutting of his electricity to washing his clothes in the bathtub, Beavan puts a real life view on the answers to the pollution invading our earth. Although most of America would not be willing to turn off their electricity, the movie does however offer small, effective solutions on how to lessen people’s impact and makes it into a family project at the same time.
The issue of pollution and the solutions on how to fix it are so controversial. Everyone has heard of ways to help, using only recycled bags at the grocery store, getting a car that has fewer emissions and eating only organic foods but which solution is correct and what really does work? Everyone has a viable theory; it’s just how one goes about proving the effectiveness of that theory. Beavan tests his theories and gives ethos to let the audience know that he is somewhat trustworthy with his information. He takes a visit out to see the farmer where his local milk comes from; by doing this he goes straight to the source to really learn everything that he can. The farmer makes the point to say that his milk is not certified organic because of his relationship with his cows. He, as a caretaker, was not comfortable with not treating his cows when they became sick. He goes on to tell Beavan that it’s more about locality and how the animals are being treated, and that is what makes a product truly organic.
Beavan also takes the chance to help plant a local garden, and tends to it throughout the whole project. He learns all the effort that it takes to make all these foods. He makes himself more relatable by getting down and dirty in the dirt so that the viewers are able to feel that he’s one of them. When they...