It’s ‘No Impact Man!’

Colin Beavan fights a battle for truth, justice and the environmental way

April 15, 2009 - To mark Earth Day 2009, eco-extremist and Westport, Mass., native, Colin Beavan, aka No Impact Man, will speak at Phillips Academy’s weekly All-School Meeting on Wednesday, April 22, at 10:50 a.m. in Cochran Chapel.

Beavan’s visit is part of the campus’s "Speaking of Sustainability" series which this year has hosted noted economist and sociologist Juliet Schorr, Rwandan-based field vet Dr. Chris Whittier ’87, and journalist Peter Alsop '95.

Beavan, became a blogoshpere sensation in late 2006 when he vowed that he, his “Prada-wearing, Four Seasons-loving wife” and their baby daughter would live one year making zero net impact on the environment… all while living in a 750-square-foot apartment on Lower Fifth Avenue in New York City.

The 43-year-old writer and his family swore off almost all American requisites for modern-day living, including electricity, carbon-fueled transportation, and packaging of any kind.  Although the going was rough (think worm composting in the kitchen and a year with no, ahem, toilet paper), Beavan discovered a no-impact lifestyle can have a super impact on a family.

“Living environmentally actually makes for a better life,” says Beavan, who is writing a book about his experience.  “The fact that we still ride our bikes everywhere, that we eat local food, and that we don't watch TV gives us more quality time as a family.”

Beavan looks forward to sharing his wisdom with the young audience of Phillips Academy on Earth Day.  Having completed their no-impact year at the end of 2007, he and his family continue to live, albeit less radically, an environmentally responsible lifestyle.  His advice for people who aim to be more “lightfooted?”

“Look for waste that doesn't even improve your quality of life and stamp it out. For example, 40 percent of what goes to the landfill is packaging. Who can actually say they like packaging?” asks Beavan.  “Coal-fired electric power plants cause global warming, yes, but they also cause asthma and respiratory disease. These things don't improve our lives. Let's get rid of them so that both people and the planet can be happier and healthier.”

As for his wife?

“My wife can do what she wants, of course! She found her attitudes changed after our ‘consumer detox.’ As for the Four Seasons, well, that's another thing...”