10 - Myths and Utopia

By Noah, Stephanie and Ryan

Introduction

       This week in class, we were shown No Impact Man, directed by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein and released in 2009.  It focuses on Colin Beavan (the titular “No Impact Man”), his wife Michelle and their daughter Isabella as they attempt to reduce their impact on the environment to zero.  The steps they take to lessen their carbon footprint can be unorthodox and shocking to us as viewers, but through their actions we realize what we really need – and what we can live without.  In addition, we were introduced to the concept of utopia, an idea of a perfect society which was notably explored by Thomas More in his 1516 novel Utopia.  We were also assigned to watch the 2012 film Surviving Progress, directed by Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks.  This film deals with the idea that all of the “progress” that humanity has achieved in the past might have led us in the opposite direction.

No Impact Man

       As previously mentioned, the film revolves around Colin Beavan.  He and his family dedicated themselves to minimizing their carbon footprint to make it as low as it could be – for an entire year.  Now this may not sound so bad, but that’s only until you learn the extent of just how far Colin and his family went to make their experiment work.  Necessities (or rather, luxuries) that we live with in everyday life – gone.  They deprive themselves of toilet paper, as it creates a tremendous amount of waste.  They eliminate disposable diapers from their home, replacing them with washable wool diapers.  Colin notes at one point that these types of diapers have been around for a very, very long time and that plastic diapers are the “third-largest source of trash in the landfills.”  Not only that, but trees must be cut down in order to produce these diapers.  They even get rid of their TV and, six months into their project, the electricity in their apartment altogether.

The film makes use of the observational style, in that the filmmakers are never seen nor heard from.  Elements of the expository style can also be noticed, as Colin is attempting to shed light on the issue of pollution.  The interactive style is also present, as Colin and his family are interviewed, as well as several outsiders.  Also included are several clips of talk shows (such as The Colbert Report, Good Morning America, etc.) and other forms of media in which Colin discusses (and defends) his experiment.  The film itself, although mainly focusing on Colin and his project, does shed a light on his private life.  One moment that truly engages the viewer in Colin's personal business is a scene in which Colin and Michelle discuss the possibility of having a second child.  Colin is not entirely on board with the idea, but Michelle is determined to make it happen.  It is a highly personal scene which allows the audience to see a side of Colin that makes us realize that he is a human with problems like anyone else.

       It is interesting to see how Colin’s wife, Michelle, reacts to the project.  Michelle is a writer who runs on caffeine to get her going.  She is initially reluctant to participate in the project – partially because of the fact that she will no longer be able to drink coffee.  However, at the project’s end, we see that she has come around and even decides to retain some elements of the project in the family’s home after it has concluded (e.g. biking as the primary mode of transportation, shopping at the farmer’s market, etc.).  Another interesting aspect of the film is the way in which it shows the reception of Colin’s project, which ranges from supportive to highly negative.  Some go as far as to say the project is nothing more than a publicity stunt, which can be connected to the idea of the shunning of the mythological hero by society.

        

       In class, we discussed the ideas of myths and utopia – both of which can be connected to No Impact Man.  Myth can be used as a way to change things, as a way to shape things around one.  In this sense, a man is not really complete by himself – he is complete with a society around him.  This can be related to Colin’s quest: he seeks to make the world a better place by making people realize just what they are doing to the environment.  Colin is a good example of a hero of modern mythology, as he must look past society’s faults and strike out on his own to make a change.  Through his project, he attempts to envision the perfect society in which we are not totally dependent on electricity or technology to get us through the day.  This relates to the idea of utopia, in that this could be considered an ideal society.  This isn’t to say that everyone should turn off the electricity in their homes, just to say that by cutting down a little, we can help a lot.

Surviving Progress 
(Mathieu Roy/Harold Crooks, 2012, Canada)

Mathieu Roy has a degree in political science and he has directed many different documentaries, such as Ecclestone's Formula and Mort à Venise, a musical journey. The mission of Mathieu Roy with the 86 minute Surviving Progress, which he made in 2012 in Canada, was to show the evolution of mankind from people living in caves to the new electronic era. The film was inspired by author Ronald Wright’s novel, “A Short History of Progress,” which shows the fact that if humans destroy the earth because of over consumption, there will be no other world to move to.  There are many different interviews throughout this film, including theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and geneticist David Suzuki. These interviews explore the ideas from Wright’s novel about the fact that the technology that human beings are using nowadays is destroying the planet. Out of the interviews, there are some that stand out more than others. Hawking was speaking about the human population moving to other planets due to the fact that we are probably going to pollute our atmosphere to the point where human life would be impossible to sustain. Primatologist Jane Goodall believes that human beings will realize what they are doing to the environment, and that they will think of a way to reduce their pollution into the atmosphere. Craig Venter, a biologist, drew out synthetic organisms that will produce food and fuel without using up all of the world’s resources. This is shown as another progress trap, due to the fact that it isn’t helping reduce their carbon footprint, it is just giving them an excuse to use more. Colin Beavan, the No Impact Man, is also interviewed, and he says that he made his movie in order to influence other people into following his lead, and to show that having no carbon footprint is possible.

            Surviving Progress is clearly a documentary, due to the fact that it is many different people being interviewed, and they are stating their views on over consumption and climate change. This documentary fits into the Actantial Model for documentary films, due to the fact that all of the roles have been filled. The Actantial Model has a subject, object, sender, receiver, opponent and helper. The subjects in this film are Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks, due to the fact that they are the ones interviewing all of the celebrities throughout the movie. Their objective for this film was to make aware to everybody the fact that overconsumption and climate change are very dangerous to the planet. If human beings don’t change their ways soon, it will only be a short period of time before the world becomes uninhabitable. The main senders are the two directors, Roy and Crooks, who sent themselves on this mission to save the planet. The other sender would be the planet, which needs our help if it wants to survive. The people who contribute from this journey is the entire human population who have their lives at risk, while the people who are too lazy to give up their precious electronics are the main opponents to the filmmakers. The helpers of this movie are all of the people who were interviewed, due to the fact that they are increasing the awareness of the problem around the world. It also deals with the subject of Utopia, due to the fact that it is believed that having no carbon footprint is impossible for most people, and that they don’t want to give up technology and mass amounts of foreign goods. This movie doesn’t think of the benefits for one single person, but for the entire population as a whole. The people must all participate in order for there to be a change in our society on the sustainability of the planet. This movie can be related to myths due to the fact that the director seeks to make the world a better place by informing them of the problems around the world. Most of the people interviewed in this movie can be considered heroes because they are trying to figure out different ways to save the planet. They all try making the perfect society, which is a utopia, which relates to the topic of utopia discussed in class.

                                          

Reflection

       The films taught us a lot about ourselves and the way we treat our planet.  If we don’t change the way we live, we might not have a planet to live in anymore and this film really showed us that. The films also taught us that the things we do don’t only impact us but billions of people worldwide. Most people live in their own personal bubbles and don’t realize that we share this world with billions of other people and the choices we make today can impact people from across the world. In the movie No Impact Man, Colin states that if he were to give up one thing for change in our lives it’s to volunteer with your local community because once you feel part of a community you realize that the choices you make impacts other people and it makes you re-think your actions. The movies also teaches us a lot about our world. It teaches us how careless people are. The environment is being destroyed because of everyone around the world and we don’t even care enough to change it. It also taught us that our world is changing, not only the people living in it but physically changing. It’s not the same as it was 50 years ago. The ozone layer is depleting and the lakes are becoming polluted causing temperatures to switch. We've realized that the world we live in is very delicate. We have to treat it properly or else it will break. This is exactly what these people like Colin and his family are trying to teach us.

            In the films No Impact Man and Surviving Progress, the filmmakers are trying to transform our vision of the world. They want us to look at the world differently. In No Impact Man Colin states that many people think they cannot make a difference because they are just one person but that’s false. If one person changes their habits then other people will follow. He was one person and he changed the mind of many people and that was one of the main messages he was trying to get through. Even though you are small the things you do can greatly impact the world.  We think we can all relate to the message of the films to our lives. We live in a world where the environment is a giant issue in today’s society and it is hard to simply ignore it. These movies teach us that we must change the way we live our lives. We have to save the planet before it’s too late. The movie that had the biggest impact on us was No Impact Man. It shows us that by the Beavan family having no impact on the environment it actually impacted their lives in a good way. The message the movie projected wasn’t only about saving the environment but also about saving themselves. The project had a big impact on Michelle; she stated that she felt like they weren’t living their lives to the fullest until they tried this experiment. She started feeling more connected with her community and with her food. The days began to feel longer because they were going outside and enjoying the outdoors instead of being stuck inside watching T.V. The experiment changed the Beavan family’s lives not only because it reversed Michelle’s diabetes or helped Collin lose 20 pounds, but because it made them appreciate life more and connect with strangers again. Everyone can make changes in their lives to help save the planet. Get started by changing these ten simple things in your life.

http://www.esb.ie/main/sustainability/easy-steps.jsp 
         

Conclusion

       No Impact Man and Surviving Progress really enabled us to take a look at the world around us and think twice about everyday life.  We can take influence from Colin Beavan's project, or from what Surviving Progress has to tell us.  By making each other realize just what we are doing to our world and working together, we might one day be able to achieve a utopian society.