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No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,938 listener ratings
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Bill McKibben meets Bill Bryson in this seriously engaging look at one man's decision to put his money where his mouth is and go off the grid for one year—while still living in New York City—to see if it's possible to make no net impact on the environment. In No Impact Man, a guilty liberal finally snaps, swears off plastic, goes organic, becomes a bicycle nut, turns off his power, and generally becomes a tree-hugging lunatic who tries to save the polar bears and the rest of the planet from environmental catastrophe while dragging his baby daughter and Prada-wearing, Four Seasons–loving wife along for the ride. And that's just the beginning. In other words, no trash, no toxins in the water, no elevators, no subway, no products in packaging, no air-conditioning, no television . . . What would it be like to try to live a no-impact lifestyle? Is it possible? Could it catch on? Is living this way more satisfying or less satisfying? Harder or easier? Is it worthwhile or senseless? Are we all doomed or can our culture reduce the barriers to sustainable living so it becomes as easy as falling off a log? These are the questions at the heart of this whole mad endeavor, via which Colin Beavan hopes to explain to the rest of us how we can realistically live a more "eco-effective" and by turns more content life in an age of inconvenient truths.
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"Quick and easy read. It has a lot of overlap with books like Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and The Story of Stuff, but it was interesting to see Beavan take on a load of issues at once rather than focusing on one specific thing (like food or transportation)."
— Crystal (4 out of 5 stars)
No Impact Man Listener Reviews
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" Still haven't quite decided what to do about this one--I obviously need to change my consumption habits. I should just jump in and start small on something before the guilt overwhelms me! "
— Abby, 2/20/2014 -
" This is the problem with this book: It is supposed to be a memoir, yet we are stuck with the driest possible environmental analysis sandwiched between poorly described conditions he puts his family through. I actually skimmed half of this book because guess what? I am a goddamn hippie! I already know about global warming, trash, etc. That is why I am reading YOUR book to see how YOU deal with it! You don't even tell us what you use instead of regular toilet paper! I just wanted more about you, your wife, your daughter, your friends, the coffee guy you used to go to. We barely get a taste of it, problems and solutions occcur on the same page!!! For the reason alone, I am actually interested in watching the documentary so I have a better idea of what actually happened during your year of no impact! BUT-I will admit, it made me think a LOT about packaging, even more so than I do now. I just keep thinking recycling will be all good....but man, just in a day I go through a lot of packaging (ziploc bag for carrots, amy's vegan lunch cardboard, soy pudding, etc). "
— Bonnie, 2/10/2014 -
" parts of the book were pretty interesting and at times quite funny, but Beavan can become quite preachy and it gets tiring after awhile. "
— Kt, 1/26/2014 -
" The whole "year long project and write a book about it" is certainly becoming common practice, but this one held my attention. I've read some absolutely scathing reviews about this book, but I found it to be thoughtful, informative, and entertaining. Beavan's bumbling in the beginning of his project did seem quite overdone - he really didn't think about all that he'd have to adjust to during the project until it came time to do so? - but the compelling part of the story was the extreme leap that he and his family took. "
— Grace, 1/18/2014 -
" Colin Beavan's journey is an interesting one to follow--and I appreciated the depth of personal investigation that happened throughout the course of No Impact Man. Funny and honest, I felt as though the discoveries he made kept him from sounding pretentious. It isn't meant to be a how-to, but discusses openly and sincerely the types of things that a person can do (in less extreme ways than Beavan and his family did) to be conscious of their consumption of resources and to reduce waste. The prose isn't always entirely graceful, but it's an enjoyable read, and I found Beavan easy to relate to. Worth a read! "
— Kari, 1/17/2014 -
" This is an inspiring book with a million ideas for reducing our environmental impact presented in an enjoyable and accessible fashion. Loved every page! "
— MeLisa, 1/12/2014 -
" A great look at how we all need to start living with less. "
— Ian, 1/12/2014 -
" what an inspiring read. Not only have I started to change my own ways, but those around me are getting into it too. "
— Annie, 12/4/2013 -
" Everyone in the world should read this book or a similar book about our impact on our environment and what changes we can make in our way of life to make a better world for future generations. Colin and his family are doing their part and I salute him! "
— Mimi, 11/27/2013 -
" A really great empowering personal story, of trying to live life without impact. Inspirational! "
— Daniel, 8/21/2013 -
" Though I am left over-thinking my plastic usage and coffee consumption, the author's preachy tone is a huge turn-off. I am a liberal, vegetarian, bike-riding urban dweller, so that's saying a lot. "
— Kelsey, 10/11/2012 -
" This is the first book I've read in a long time that I don't want to put down and can't stop talking about! "
— Whitney, 5/19/2012 -
" Story of a family that lives with basically what amounts to as "no impact" for one year. The book is great, and for those of who who maybe do not agree with living low impact it is interesting while not being too preachy! "
— Matt, 4/10/2012 -
" Beavan acknowledges that he, and his project, are sort of crazy, and definitely extreme. I liked that. And now I'm a person that tries a lot harder than I did before reading this book. "
— Colettemariehayes, 3/26/2012 -
" Loved it! Very inspirational. You are dumb if you don't like it. This was excellent. "
— Monica, 2/21/2012 -
" Stopped midday. Lost interest but enjoyed it up to that point. "
— Twila, 1/18/2012 -
" Good companion to the movie. I'm impressed by his humility and focus on himself. Lots of thought-provoking ideas on how to live more sustainably. "
— Julie, 12/3/2011 -
" liked the book. will make for an interesting discussion I hope at Bookclub "
— Kathleen, 9/20/2011 -
" I thought this book would change the way I approach the environment, but really the author came off quite pompous. I did re-think my paper towel use, though! "
— Kirimcghee, 6/5/2011 -
" Interesting take on living. I placed a few of his ideas into practice. I can't get over the liberal guilt that so many seem to feel. Where does it come from? "
— Mark, 6/3/2011 -
" Highly recommend this book. It's a funny and humble look at one family's attempt to make less of an impact on the earth. It has definitely made me think about new ways our family can make changes. "
— Kelly, 6/2/2011 -
" Over all a good read with a number of ideas for those of us who would like to do more... "
— Luke, 5/11/2011 -
" Good companion to the movie. I'm impressed by his humility and focus on himself. Lots of thought-provoking ideas on how to live more sustainably. "
— Julie, 5/4/2011
About Colin Beavan
Colin Beavan is an American nonfiction writer and Internet blogger. He was named one of MSN’s Ten Most Influential Men of 2007 and his blog No Impact Man was named one of the world’s top fifteen environmental websites by Time magazine.