MovieChat Forums > No Impact Man: The Documentary (2010) Discussion > Another one of these films?

Another one of these films?

posted 15 years ago by TardyTurtle
14 replies | jump to latest

I really hope this movie is the death knell for these quasi pro-environmental movies.

It's movies like this that make people think that by buying a hybrid car they're actually making a difference to the environment. There has to be a bigger societal shift in order to make any headway in reducing emmissions (ex. getting China's emissions down, stop building expansive suburbs and start increasing density) in any considerable way, and not this flavor-of-the-month, hip-to-be-cool environmentalism that's everywhere today. All it does is make people feel good, and it makes these "environmentalists" think they're actually contributing to society.

I'm a REAL hero. . . like a sexless John Glenn.

[–] spaceface 15 years ago

Very well said, couldn't agree more.

But it did happen

[–] PhantomPhan222 15 years ago

But the point of this documentary is to show the enormous change in lifestyle it would take to make a genuine positive contribution to the environment. This is not "documentary about a family who use a hybrid and get a pack of power-saving lightbulbs for a year", this is "documentary about a family who stop using electricity, vehicular transport, processed food etc. for a year".

And, most importantly, it's an experiement; to see if it works. Not an in-your-face, smug, eco-warrior, liberal propaganda machine.

"People always sing 'Part of Your World' at auditions... that's why I only know one lyric."

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] smoko 14 years ago

Wait, you think that China is a third world country? You wiggers get dumber every year.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MoleMchenry 14 years ago

I'm not sure what you typed because you type like a 12 year old wangsta but, a 3rd world country would be considered a really poor country such as many countries in africa. China has a great economy. Yes people are living poorly, but so are people in the US and UK.

Translation for you:

im not sur wut u typed cuz u type lik a 12 yr old wank but a 3rd wurld contry wud be consided a rlly poor contry such as mny contrys in africa china haz a gr8 economy yea ppl r livin poorly but so r ppl in da us n uk

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Last Move Seen:
"Pretentious Foreign Film" by Guy You've Never Heard Of. 10/10

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MoleMchenry 14 years ago

A) I seriously can not take anything you type seriously just based on the way you type. B) It's obvious the amount of poor people can't compare to the US. The US is well developed and one of the leading nations in the world. Also the US has 300 million people compared to China 1 billion. C) It seems you don't know the true definition of 3rd world. I refuse to talk to you until you finish high school and learn how to type and stop trolling. No one trolls anymore. It's boring.

Translation for you.:

a) i srsly can not take anyfing u type srsly jus based on da way u type b) its obvius da amt of poor ppl cant compr 2 da us da us is well devlpd n 1 of da leading nashuns n da wrld also da us haz 300 mill ppl compard 2 china 1 bill it seem u dont know da tru def of 3rd world i refuz 2 talk 2 u till u fnsh HS n lern how 2 type n stp trollin no 1 trolls nemore its bring
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Last Move Seen:
"Pretentious Foreign Film" by Guy You've Never Heard Of. 10/10

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MoleMchenry 14 years ago

Oh God, I just read through your posts. I can't believe I fell ill to a troll -_-

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Last Move Seen:
"Pretentious Foreign Film" by Guy You've Never Heard Of. 10/10

[–] Nimabu 14 years ago

Why is it so bad that people get into the environmental fad and start buying eco-friendly cars, recycling their garbage and using different light bulbs? Are you seriously expecting governments to do everything? It's that type of mentality that has got us to where we are, where global warming is no longer a possibility but a reality. I know you wrote this in August, but I hope you've changed your mind a bit since Copenhagen was a disaster and governments cant agree on what to do with the environment. I honestly think that people should do their part and stop expecting Congress to do something about pollution, taking into consideration how slowly things like these get turned into laws.

[–] TardyTurtle 14 years ago

No, I haven't changed my mind. And I'm afraid that you're misjudging my comments as well. Societal shift does not equal government legislation. People can change society without the government. Just look at the internet and technology. We haven't gotten to this point in adopting these technologies because the government told us to.

Hybrid cars aren't a big help because they perpetuate the same development mentality that has been around since the post-war period, with huge expansive suburban development and massive transportation costs for everyone. People drive 50-60 miles per day.

People have the mentality that they need to drive everywhere and everything is built so that you have to drive everywhere. Public transit in North America is still seen as being for the lower echelon. If you're 25 and don't have a car a majority of people will believe that you are poor. If you're 35 and don't own a house that's 2500 sq. ft. people become almost suicidal!

It's simply unfeasable to continue expanding over the landscape the way we do and building the way we do. Buildings in fact account for about 70% of our energy expenditure. Do you know how badly a typical suburban home is insulated? Usually there's no insulation around the studs in a typical stick-built house. All those wooden studs act like a bridge letting out the energy you just spent heating or cooling your home. Whatever R-value your insulation was just went down by a third. But developers still build this way, tens of thousands of homes a year, and tons of energy wasted.

Another example, so much energy is wasted on cooling spaces during the summer to freezing levels. You walk into a mall and if its not 65 degrees people complain that its too hot. So of course the store owners keep the place supercooled. A complete waste of energy! Just keep the inside temperature 10-15 degrees lower than it is outside and things would be fine. I'm not even talking about the fact that you can design in such a way to do away with air conditioning in many public places.

That's the sort of mentality that I'm talking about and it's so pervasive in North America it's unbelievable.

I know people who've bought hybrid cars and just use it as an excuse to drive more than they did before. Then they get home on a summer day, walk in the door and there are icicles hanging off the coatrack because the house has been sitting empty all day with the air conditioner running at full blast.

I'm talking about a change in mindset, where people would consciously make decisions that would benefit the environment and go towards reducing our energy needs. Yes, buying a hybrid car is a good choice, but in the grand scheme of things, it's only one of dozens and dozens of things that should be done to bring down energy needs and their resultant costs, on our pocket book and on the environment. However, if it's just looked at as a fad, people won't embrace it anymore then they did the Macarena. Once the style has passed no one will care.

I'm a REAL hero. . . like a sexless John Glenn.

[–] AlmaCuerpocaliente 14 years ago

I agree with you Tardy Turtle (re:hybrid cars, etc), but I think that the documentary does too. It may not address all issues with respect to lifestyle changes, but it does suggest that many of our environmentally friendly solutions (such as recycling) only propagate our excessive consumption. They do not claim to be experts, but they are trying, and I think that they highlight a number of issues (over consumptions, cities/streets being geared toward cars rather than people, community detachment) that are very important. And what is more, what I really liked, was how they showed their eco-concious experiment improved their family life.

But yea, solar panels are expensive...and there are a number of inconsistencies and issues with the way they chose to go 'no impact', but I still think this is a good movie with several good ideas. I think it would be great to build upon the ideas, discuss better alternatives, rather than just criticize. Even if this were a fad, which I don't think it is, it could be turned to good rather than lambasted.

Alma

[–] interrogatemc 14 years ago

Why do we need 100% solvency? Problem is, humans are kinda a dumb breed and will never get the picture and will never get close to 100% solvency. Something as simple as putting air in your tires to increase fuel efficiency was laughed at by the American public. I have railed against stop lights (as have many others), yet small towns all over this country still run stop lights at all hours of the day (meaning lots of stop and go driving and idling). Just these two issues alone could save millions of barrels of oil, but when someone scoffs at the idea, we shrug our shoulders and say yep, that's too much change for too little good. What this particular family did was extreme...they readily admit so, but I think it was necessary for the project. Who wants to read about a family who makes minor sacrifices. But I think in taking extreme measures (some of which were reasonable), they can see for themselves that change isn't always so rough. And they have the credibility to say that to the rest of us.