In-Class+Assignment


 * 1. List the ways in which “No Impact Man” changes his family’s lifestyle. **

1. Living without making no net impact in the environment 2. No buying produce from distant land 3. All sustainable transportation driving, flying, etc. 4. Shopping/Make-up 5. No eating out – restaurant, fast food, etc. 6. No elevators 7. No television 8. Using a finely treated wool cloth for pampers 9. No more magazine subscriptions 10. Only using reusable bottles 11. Shopping from food from the bulk bins 12. No throwaway plastic razors 13. Keeping a worm bin for decomposing


 * 2. Describe which of the family’s actions made the most significant impact in achieving Bevan’s goals. **

Within a week, the family was already starting to notice an impact. Their life was calmer with no concerns about TV, gossip, credit cards, and having to worry if oil from a take-out is clogging your arteries. More specifically, buying local definitely had a significant impact for something so small. It supports the local farmers. Also if many people start buying local then it will help reduce the transport needed for food and other items that must travel so far to be sold.


 * 3. Beavan traces much of our wasteful culture back to consumerism and the “hedonic treadmill,” the notion that there is always something better out there than what was just purchased. Can you identify purchases or habits in your own life that fit this psychological profile? What consumer products truly improve your life? What are the true necessities? What could you do without altogether? To learn more about the relationship between consuming responsibly and enhancing overall quality of life, visit the Center for a New American Dream (http://newdream.org) and take a look at Buy Nothing Day (www.buynothingday.org) and the Alternative Gift Registry **
 * ( **[|**www.alternativegiftregistry.org**]** ). **

Some habits in my own life include purchasing products such has flat screen TVs, high heels, cellphones (notice the plural in cellphone). It gets very expensive and thinking back about these items in the context of “hedonic treadmill”, they are definitely not true necessities. True necessities would be something I use everyday, regularly, religiously, and just cannot function without it. In reality, almost 99% of our materialistic items are not TRUE necessities. Trasportation, electronics, etc are definitely things we could do without altogether.. In terms of transportation, atleast reduce it by carpooling and commuting.


 * 4. Beavan runs into many situations in //No Impact Man// regarding the profusion of **
 * packaging waste: paper or plastic at the grocery store, paper plates at the pizza joint, delivery in Styrofoam clamshells. How much packaging waste do you accumulate? How does your community manage landfills and recycling programs? Should it be up to individuals, businesses, or governments to reduce waste? One way to help is to take the Pledge to Break the Bottled Water Habit, organized by the Center for a New American Dream ( **[|**http://water.newdream.org**]** ). **

Everything we buy at the grocery is wrapped in plastic, wrapped in containers, etc. Bagging items such as clothes, electronics, are usually bagged in plastic bags. Eating out, our food will be prepared and put into paper plates or styrofoam containers. In terms of shopping and eating out from fast-food then I consume quite a bit of packaging waste. In terms of who should be responsible, I think everyone had a little bit of a responsibility when it comes to reducing waste. Individuals should first take a look at their packaging waste and find ways to minimize it. It is up to business to follow in the steps of individuals and set examples for their employees and others around them to reduce as much as possible. And it can also be up to the government to enforce how much waste individuals and businesses are allowed to generate.


 * 5. Beavan’s experiment took green living to an extreme. If you were to choose just **
 * a few of his actions to implement in your own life, what would they be? Which **
 * conveniences or behaviors should society change in order to reduce our collective **
 * environmental impact? **

As a student, I think commuting would be a good change. Initially, I drive to school but I think it is definitely time to take advantage of my bus pass. Students are already doing a good job with this. As a society, I think we should all start buy local to help support our local farmers. We are surrounded by a lot of local product and by purchasing those instead of items that have to travel half way across the world, we are reducing product transportation.


 * 6. Happiness forms a theme in //No Impact Man//. Would you be happier if you **
 * slowed down, dispensed with the instant conveniences, and did more things the old fashioned way? What are your options for slowing down? What holds you back? **

Slowing down is definitely something that will make my life a lot more relaxed and happy. Currently my time is being taken up by a lot of television, Internet and just a lot of electronic usage. My time is wasted and could be spent on much more important things such as reading for school, writing my assignments and eating healthier. That way it will reduce stressing over procrastination and feeling better by eating healthy foods.


 * 7. For most people, giving up a car would be a complicated life change. Impact Man aspires to give up all fossil-fuel transportation. What would be your biggest adjustments if you sold your car, gave up taxis, buses, trains, and planes, and commuted entirely by bike or on foot? What would spur you to do this? What would the drawbacks be? The Alliance for Biking and Walking (www. peoplepoweredmovement.org) has great tips for making this change, including how **
 * to create communities that are practical and safe for bicyclists and pedestrians. Is it possible to do this in the Mississauga/Oakville area? **

Travelling is a big thing for me so giving up planes or trains would be very hard. Aside from long distance travelling, commuting around the city is very do-able. This reduces the pollution from all the cars we drive. In traffic there will be dozens of drivers in a single car, riding with noone else that are contributing to the big issue of air pollution. By commuting, it reduces that and can definitely help make an impact.