• Packaging of any kind?
• Plastic bags?
• Shopping for new clothes?
• A fridge?
• Food that’s not grown locally?
• Disposable diaper?
• Electricity?
• A car?
• Toilet paper?!

For an entire year? In New York City?

That’s exactly what Colin Beavan decided to live without. The problem – he’s got a wife and young child along for the ride. The movie No Impact Man is the story of the Beavan family who made a decision to see what they could leave behind for a year to see what sort of impact, or lack of an impact I should say they could have on the planet.

To leave no impact is hard. According to the No Impact Man website this would mean, “Eating vegetarian, buying only local food, and turning off the refrigerator. It also means no elevators, no television, no cars, busses, or airplanes, no toxic cleaning products, no electricity, no material consumption, and no garbage.” Simply by being born you’ve already screwed the environment in some way so creating less of an impact while you’re here can help to make up for some of the havoc we’re spreading as humans on the earth, however, is this too extreme?

I just viewed an advanced screening of this film last night, and I’ll be reviewing it soon. Heads up, I don’t think this family made decisions that were/are too extreme. Possibly not extreme enough because I’m not sure the movie translates to the general non-green public – more about this in my review though.

Overall I liked the film and if you’re lucky it’s in a theater near you. Watch for my review coming soon.

[image via Oscilloscope Laboratories]

Post from: Blisstree

No Impact Man – Extream or No?

Being an overly avid consumer is not so green because:

• It creates a need to use more material to make products.
• It creates a need to more energy resources to make products – and not many of those energy resources are green.
• When non-renewable energy sources are used, it creates pollution to make these products.
• It takes gas to ship said products from plant to company and then more gas to get them to your home.
• Packaging for products creates all the same issues noted above.
• When you have a lot of stuff you need a place to store it and living large is terrible green behavior. BIG old houses create a huge and negative eco-impact.
• Many products are recyclable but on the flip side, many aren’t. Furthermore, lots of products are a mix of recyclable and non-recyclables, which creates an issue for recycling centers and consumers. Even further on the flip side, research shows that even when a product is recyclable, people just plain aren’t recycling.

Simplicity is green. Living within your means is greener than living outside of them. Living with less junk around is considerably greener than always making purchase. If you’ve never considered the impact stuff has on your world, here are some resources:

Your Money or Your Life: book about transforming your relationship with money, stuff, and time. While this book is not green exactly, it naturally heads that way. It pushes for a more authentic, more people based, less materialistic life and offers the tools you need to make this change.

The Circle of Simplicity: book about the overwhelming need for stuff. Plus tips about how to get rid of the stuff you have (and don’t need), how to buy less, living your passion, and clearing space, both in your mind and home.

Stuff owns you – a classic little essay that’s a must read for anyone considering clearing out their stuff.

Coming up sometime soon, we’ll take a look at some other ways to beat consumer issues and keep it green.

[image via

Post from: Blisstree

Commercialism & Stuff – Not So Green

Do you love it! I want one for Christmas -maybe in a place like Humboldt – this one resides in a seaside town in northeast Kent. Just look at the interior.

Beautiful clean lines and simplicity – perfect.

To see more images and to learn more visit Architect Visit: Studiomama Beach Chalet at Remodelista, a nice peaceful slice of a blog. Thanks to Peggy for the tip.

[images via Remodelista]

Post from: Blisstree

Eat, drink, sleep, view – ah!

Epu in the fields of Sebastopol, CA. 96 square feet:

Basically, Tumbleweed is a company that designs, builds, and sells both ready made homes and plans for extremely tiny homes. These homes are so small that the standard size is 120 square feet or less (although some are a wee bit bigger) and they can be affixed to a trailer, and are road ready.

Nice; and I thought I wanted an RV. This is way better. I’m just going to give a basic run down of size. If you want to take a look inside (believe me, you do) then visit the house page at the Tumbleweed site – most have great interior slide shows. There is also a handy FAQ.

Harbinger; 490 square fee:

My favorite is, unsurprisingly, the Z-Glass House at 400 square feet. Too big for a trailer I guess, but way slick:

After the jump; interior shots!

Inside the Epu – Desk:

Inside the Epu – Kitchen: 

You know, this post is getting sort of long. I think I’ll come back with the ultra slick video and some benefits of a Tumbleweed home.

[All photos credited to the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company]

Post from: Blisstree

Life in a House That’s Smaller Than Some Closets