could you live for a year without toilet paper?
"Yesterday, I shared ten great eco docs to watch for Earth Day. One that really piques my interest is No Impact Man, about eco writer and activist Colin Beavan and his family.
I haven't watched the whole film yet, but the trailer has me intrigued! In a nutshell, Colin and his family commit to a full year of living without making any impact on the environment and that means no takeout food, toilet paper, TV, electricity; all in the middle of Manhattan! It sounds intense, but he and his family seem to have a great sense of humor, and the doc looks informative and funny.
See what goes down over the Beavans's no impact year by streaming the whole film on Netflix or you can buy the DVD here. You can also get a bunch of eco-living tips on Colin's blog, like this video reminding us how the "good life" isn't the same as the "goods life" (buying lots of stuff that's marketed to us everywhere). I love this, and I think it's so important! It's super quick and easy to watch, and it's great reminder for Earth Day:
Have you seen No Impact Man? Let's discuss! Share your thoughts in the comments below.
33 comments
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Dear Kayla,
Try using water instead. Then you don't have to wash soiled cloth. I agree, it's gross. I say this respecfully. :)
Please see the picture I attached. See the hose on the left? That's what I use istead of toilet paper.
http://www.thekindlife.com/photo/view/53313/4917/22091/1
It's very clean. Once you are used to using water, you wouldn't think of using anything else, including cloth.
Hope it helps.
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I've seen it and loved it! I really love the idea of family cloth in place of toilet paper, but my fiance thinks it's disgusting for the same reasons he didn't want to cloth diaper. He thinks throwing waste in the washing machine is gross. I disagree. But it would defeat the purpose for just me to use the cloth when he doesn't want to. What do you guys think? How could I convince him that it's not gross at all?
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Colin Beavan is thinking of running for office in NYC as a Green Party member. You can follow him on Facebook to learn more. If any of you Kind Lifers are in NYC, I'm sure he'd appreciate any help you might be able to provide!
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hi, i watched this movie and have been thinking about it ever since. it was a truely inspiringfilm. i live in a place where we can recycle pretty much everything. we have a city wide composting program that allows us to compost everything including diapers and soiled paper that cant be recycled and it leaves for a fairly small amount of garbage. i love this about my city. i wish they did it in more places. but it is still not enough and i got a lot of great ideas from the film about how i can improve my impact on the earth. i dont think giving up tp is one of them though. but i read an artical a while back about how the quilted tp and pp is way worse then the recycled paper. to make quilted paper they need to use trees and quite a bit of processing. just a thought for others to consider.
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Wow, I honestly never thought about no toilet paper before....I have already changed to cloth towels and napkins...I'll have to think about this one.
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EVERYONE should see the doc., "Bag It". It is about the terrible consequences plastics have on our health, the health of our unborn babies, children, pets and enviornment. Very informative. I wish it were manditory in all high schools and colleges because our youth of today need to become aware since the adults in charge of our country seem not to be.
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Thank you for sharing this Alicia. I don't use toilet paper. I use water. I have a system attached to my toilet that allows me to use water, and it's not messy at all. And I dry with a towel. I will post pictures soon. It's very clean. And I don't have to use toilet paper at all. Hope this inspires someone.
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Great documentary! I loved it! If nothing else, it gets you thinking about eating locally and reducing your consumption in myriad ways. Not every single suggestion will work for everyone but taking as many as you can and making changes in your life is better than nothing. Something is always better than nothing! If you can't stomach the cloth TP, just keep buying TP made of recycled materials and use minimally :)
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The idea of no toilet paper or one sheet per use (previous blog entry) is nice in theory and kudos to those who can and do live by that, but if you've lived with any sort of ongoing GI issue, that's just not a reality.
As for "all TP is alike," I've found that not to be true. I've had skin reactions from the harsher products so that's one area of my shopping where I cannot and do not skimp, and I take my TP with me when I travel.
I'm hopefully offsetting that retail environmental offense with the other ways I live and shop.
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In response to Smurfy....good question ( no, you are not a jerk...you are THINKING ). It was a miracle.
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oh, I love that idea of reducing consumerism...in fact, I rarely buy new clothes...I think that kick of constantly going out and buying things is blatant materialism...I refuse to exchange birthday and Christmas presents...they sometimes end up in garage sales, etc. Now, am I being a Scrooge?
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Hi Alicia and everybody, my name is marc olin levy and i am an actor/writer out in San Francisco. I can attest...i have not used toilet paper in over a year and it is great! it is awesome! my ass is totallly clean...toilet paper actually makes your ass worse...seriously...try it...toilet paper is b.s....anyways, two new story ideas..."Super Girl" about a young black woman with an acoholic father, a black family, she gets into a good college and dad gets sober....a positive happy ending...and then "Heart" or "Mi Corazon" about a young 18 year latina college student in Ca. who becomes a political leader on campus, breaks up a big fight amungst the boys, unites the whole shool and becomes class President. A feminist latina figure. Any feedback? Share...I love you...write me if you wish: marcolevy777@yahoo.com
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Um, not to be a jerk, but how did they power the camera and sound equipment for the documentary without electricity?
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I did get to see the No Impact Man last year. Very thought provoking film and the wife was so willing to get on board with some of the ideas the man comes up with. Entertaining as well as a insightful as you watch this couple make changes while living in a apartment that if everyone would make these efforts this way of living could make such a difference in our world. Though I realized how spoiled we are with all of our electronics and throw away wraps and plastic bags, etc. Worth watching.
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Thank you for sharing these Alicia. These are very imformative and helpful. As you say and I agree, every day is Earth Day for us kind lifers and one thing I do that I think applies is volunteering at a local farmers market. I always bring a few bucks to buy something and help them with putting away tables and helping them load their vehicles at the end. I also play my guitar and sing some classic rock tunes during and take pictures to post on facebook. Yesterday was their grand opening and it was such fun!
Thanks for being so inspiring. I never thought I would be doing this kind life thing but it has truely change my life and I LOVE it! I hope you are at peace and enjoying life.
Blake
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I saw this one in Buenos Aires Green Film Fest, very very very interesting! You should watch it ASAP!
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Love all the very interesting comments. Ha. Ha. I do use septic tank safe TP. Yay. Another reason to hold off on the drastic step. : )
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At least Toilet Paper comes from a renewable resource, unlike like the oil and gas used in a vehicle. I'll continue with toilet paper thank you, ( although we certainly could do without the super cuddley ultra soft stuff....that is just marketing to the fools who buy it ), unless of course I find myself outside of a major hotel in India or Pakistan. T/P that is approved for use in a septic system should be the only type sold, as it readily breaks down and does the least amount of damage to treatment sysyems.
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Love this documentry and book! It really inspires you to do better and evaluate your daily life. The goal is to not get you to stop using toliet paper but to just make you think about what use and what you could live without.
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I found Colin's blog by accident about 3 months into his year and followed it from then on. And I read the book when it came out. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I would definitely recommend the book. It was a good read :-)
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Sounds like an interesting film and story. I'm sure it's a hard thing to do wherever you live, but I would think it's a little easier if you live in a big city than if you live in the 'burbs or country and have to get in your car and drive just about everywhere. Still, I'm sure they have a lot of good lessons learned to share, and I'll definitely look for this on Netflix!
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I'm willing to give up tissue and paper towels, but toilet paper???? I don't think I can do it. I realize there was a time when TP didn't exist so what was used? I have to agree with Kelly, the "ick factor" is just to great. Sorry Mother Earth.
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Great idea, but face it a lot of the household issues/chores/ responsibilities fall upon women. I think it was rude of him to title it "No Impact Man" when his wife agreed to be a part of the project. No wonder she felt like quitting, if I was getting no credit i would quit too!
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