A very New York take-no-prisoners style of going Green but then Colin Beavan has set himself a major target – live for a year without making any net impact on the environment. This means some seriously hard graft, made all the more difficult by living in an apartment and with a less than enthusiastic wife. He does however make his point, going green is hard work, not perhaps this hard, but all of us need to examine what we do, what we use and what we throw away so we can at least gain the status of Less Impact men and women.

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Synopsis

In the growing debate over eco-friendly living, it seems that everything is as bad as everything else. Do you do more harm by living in the country or the city? Is it better to drive a thousand miles or take an airplane? In NO IMPACT MAN, Colin Beavan tells the extraordinary story of his attempt to find some answers - by living for one year in New York City (with his wife and young daughter) without leaving any net impact on the environment. His family cut out all driving and flying, used no air conditioning, no television, no toilets...They went from making a few concessions to becoming eco-extremists. The goal? To determine what works and what doesn't, and to fashion a truly 'eco-effective' way of life. Beavan's radical experiment makes for an unforgettable and humorous memoir and an attempt to answer perhaps the most important question of all: What is the sufficient individual effort that it would take to save the planet? And what is stopping us?

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About the Author

Colin Beavan is a writer and journalist whose work has appeared in THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY, ESQUIRE, GEORGE and other international publications. His blog for the No Impact Man experiment is visited by thousands every day. He lives in New York City with his wife and daughter. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation