In this novel, Beaven discusses a study used to measure the "efficiency, essentially, of a country's economy in terms of health and happiness of it's citizens experienced per ton of greenhouse gas emitted."The number of countries that have had their HPI, "Happy Planet Index," calculated is 178. The United States of America is number 150 on this list, this is a sad fact. Because of our poor HPI rating, this means that the life expectancy and happiness of our citizens is a very low rate. Children are dying because of the pollutant gases being emitted into the air every day, and we over look all of this. How can we just accept this rating of our country and move on knowing that we treat our eco system so poorly, and that it is proven that the majority of our people will not be able to live a full life because of it. That is sad. Money, I guess, has truly corrupted our minds. Apparently people care more about having more money in their short lifetime than living a full life, and enjoying what our earth can provide naturally, and that is very sad. It's scary to think about this, that this is what we're doing to our home, we're ruining our land, and ruining ourselves, by continuing our way of life, our current way of life, that supply and demand comes before love, and natural living. Think about it.

The last post I talked about how it seemed like people were beginning to evolve into a more eco friendly approach in my community. However I seen something last night that disgusted me. I seen an exporting truck drive by, and gasses and smog were pouring out of the top of it, and all I could think about was that smog going into my lungs, or my neighbors lungs, and how bad those gasses would pollute our air. And then if you really think about it that is only one truck, imagine all of the truck drivers that are putting negative gas emissions into our air a day, and then a year, and it's disgraceful to think about, that air could cause more then moderate health problems for children or for anyone really. We need to eliminate this source of pollution and limit the amount of driving and gas consumption our cars are using. It's incredible to see people's negligence to saving our environment. We really need to make an effort. Even if people attempted to do half the things that Beaven does in his book we would eliminate a large abundance of pollution.

Eco Friendly activism in my community

I am excited to see more activism in saving our planet in my town's newspaper/ magazine. They put out a list of things that should and can be recycled, and stress the idea of recycling. It's starting to appear in the media, and by the action of several eco friendly believers that we need to reform the world that we are living in. I'm not sure if Colin Beaven's book is the single contribution to this struggle, but for me it has helped me recognize things like this. I've actually been thinking about taking a trip to a farmers market like Beaven did, I think it would just be interesting to surround myself in an atmosphere like that. It seems to cool to join the attempt in making our planet cleaner, if we can promise to eliminate maybe one or two things that pollute or destroy our earth in our daily lives it could make a big difference. We all need to become active in this plot to save our world. Recycle, imagine, believe in what we can do, and don't become transfixed in what our culture is telling you, because you believe that you can be successful that way, and live in an easier manner, because that is not necessarily true. 

Beaven's use of Zen History

I found something interesting about Beaven while reading the novel, that doesn't really have to do with his attempt to keep the world clean and that was his interest in Zen studies. One quote I took from the novel that i'd like to share in margins was about a Zen master who lead a monastery of monks. The monastery was divided up into an east residence and a west residence and one day a stray cat wonders into the monastery. Sometimes the cat would cuddle up in the laps of the monks in the east residence, and other times it would repeat it's actions with those of the west residence. When it continued to do so, the monks became envious of each other until one day fighting broke out in the "dharma" room where the monks usually meditated. The head Zen master Nam Cheon was tired of the bickering and stormed into the room where he picked up the cat and held a blade to it's throat. He asked for the monks to "give one true word of love for the cat," and he would save it, if not he would slit it's throat. Nam Cheon wanted to test the monks to see if they really loved the cat, or they were fighting to see who would win the argument. While the monks couldn't think of anything to say, and returned to firing words back and for at each other trying to prove each other wrong, Nam Cheon slit the cat's throat. The brutality of this story, or "koan," is not to show that monks are violent. It was to show that sometimes people do thinks just to prove their superiority not because they love something. Beaven make's this connection to our political system when it comes to them saving our planet, they act like the monks in the dharma room, and I agree with him. I think that people need to stop arguing about what they think is right, or what they think will make them more prestigious, and just agree with what can make this world, and our planet better for us.

My Observations of Newport, RI

My family and I went to Newport, Rhode Island for the day yesterday, and it amazed me to see that people out there are actually making an effort towards mending our ecological problems. Maybe Beaven's attempts to change the world through his own life decisions and the novel "No Impact Man," has started to affect people in my area of the world. I've taken pictures which I will upload as soon as I get the chance of the scooters that I seen multiple people driving, which limits the amount of fossil fuel emissions going into our air. I also found a boat by the docks that runs on biodiesel fuel, which Beaven mentions in his project. It was interesting to see how I traveled outside of my town, where people aren't really accustomed to practicing an eco friendly lifestyle, and I went to this place that is known for being beautiful, and isn't it a coincidence that a lot of people are eco friendly in that area too, shouldn't that tell us something? I think it should tell us that in order to make our home environment more beautiful, and healthy for our bodies we need to practice a more eco-friendly lifestyle. It's small things like this that people notice, and think twice about as they're passing. We all need to make an attempt to make our lives better, and our neighbors lives better.

This is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which author Colin Beavan is trying to reduce in his attempt to make his family go "eco-friendly," and hopefully allow people to realize what we are doing to our earth. This picture depresses me, to be honest, it's embarrassing to see how we do something like this to our earth just because we are selfish. There is a slim minority of people who actually attempt to make this planet a better place, for us and our future generations but according to this picture that minority is not enough to cleanse the earth. I think that this book needs to be given to every American, in the hope that people will start to make environmental changes, to live a No Impact lifestyle is to reduce the amount of waste that finds it's way into the ocean and around the world. Millions of water bound animals are being killed because of this waste, and we are being polluted because of this waste. People are always looking to get a "quick fix," well this is where that is going. I salute Beavan and his family for attempting to change the world, for this reason.

Pre-novel thoughts

Before I even began reading through this novel, I took a look at how the book was constructed, and the comments on the novel, and the content on the back of the book that gives a brief explanation about what the novel entitles. And before I even began to read a sentence, I thought about what would it be like if me and my family began to live a "no impact lifestyle." Would it even be possible to do such a thing? Of course I had been informed about certain things that I could do to save the planet, however I never really tried to make a change besides maybe using a reusable bag when I went shopping for groceries at the market with my family. Before I even read the first page, I was already excited to see what would come out of this book, how this man and his family would attempt to change the world, and could it possibly change the living style that I have been accustomed to, to this day. That's when I turned to the front page, and got prepared for knowledge of how one person and his family can make being eco friendly a habitual thing. The novel is about something that i've never really thought about besides when an eco friendly teacher may have mentioned it in class, or my aunt raved about going to Whole Foods and eating organic brands. Could a book change the way I lived, I was prepared to find out.