No Impact Man

“What if I tried not to harm the environment? Is it possible? Is it practical?” Author and activist Colin Beavan conducts a year-long experiment in extreme green living in No Impact Man, which begins with Beavan making basic lifestyle shifts (buy locally, no disposable packaging) and ends with his turning off the electricity (using a solar panel to generate enough juice to power his laptop). Complicating the issue is the reality of living in the middle of New York City (no elevators, cars, or mass transit allowed) with a wife and young daughter (no disposable diapers). Directed by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein, the documentary is as much about family tensions and negotiations as the physical effects of environmentally-conscious living. Where the stunt ends and the project begins is a bit hard to tell, what with all the blogging and the constant camera crew presence (the fact that it's a full-time job for Beavan goes unspoken). While Beavan can be preachy and a little insufferable as he pushes his wife to follow along, he's also fully aware that this is a research effort, not a permanent lifestyle change. Trying everything he can think of, one step at a time, to see for himself what is possible and practical, Beavan uses the resulting publicity to promote the message—via radio, TV, newspapers, speaking engagements, and, of course, his running blog—that we have a responsibility to our environment. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)