“’I don’t get it,’ my mother says. ‘The train will run whether you’re on it or not. What extra emission would it cause if you just climbed on?’” (82) This sentence, spoken by Beavan’s mother in chapter five, pretty much sums up how I’ve been feeling about this project so far. The other day, I saw a classmate in the bathroom, and we began discussing the book. She said that now, every time she picks up a napkin, she thinks about how much she doesn’t want to use it. I remember thinking “I wish I felt that concerned”, but honestly I didn’t. I think this is because I kept asking myself, “How can not using this one napkin help the environment?” I kept thinking “this tree has already been cut down and this napkin is going to end up in the trash anyway, so I might as well use it.” Since the napkin has already been made, does not using it really make a difference? I guess, theoretically, if everyone in the world stopped using napkins than yes, the napkin business would fail and stop cutting down trees and using energy to make the napkins, but does one person not using a napkin really matter? This is where I got stuck. From this point on, I really want to stop focusing on the question “can one person really make a different?” That question is really not what this book is about. It’s about living the change you would like to see in the world. Maybe not using that napkin really isn’t that big a deal in the grand scheme of things, but not using it can help me live the way I wish everyone would live. Chapter five really made me want to stop asking the question “what’s the point?”
After tonight’s reading, I felt like I could really relate to Colin. I started to think about all the attempts I’ve made to help the planet. My most recent project was riding my bike to school. Let’s just say, it failed. After watching the No Impact Man documentary in World Religions I was motivated to do something proactive, that something was riding my bike to school. It is a 15 minute bike ride of approximately 1.6 miles. My mother, much like Colin’s mother, was a little skeptical of my plan. She didn’t see the point in me riding my bike because I had to carpool my sister and a neighbor anyways. And since I was riding my bike they would be driving a car. Why shouldn’t I just pile in? Well, I didn’t ride my bike to school again, but it wasn’t until after reading Ch. 5 that I realized why I stopped riding my bike. Not only did I get to sleep in later and push less energy out my legs so early in the morning, but I got to spend those few minutes in the car with my sister and my friend. When Colin had to tell his mother and his sister that he wouldn’t be going to see them because of his project I started to wonder what kind of an effect his project was really having on his happiness and the happiness of the people around him. Personally, I think that spending time with family and being there for those you love is more important that wasting the energy it takes to get on a train and go somewhere. Since Colin’s book is all about improving his lifestyle and making it happier, shouldn’t he prioritize better? He mentions that he should not “allow this project to blind [him] to [his] propensity for self-righteousness.” (84) I’m not saying he did the wrong thing, he doesn’t think he did either, all I’m saying is that personally, I would have gone to that family Thanksgiving. You don’t get that time with your family back. A balance between spending time with people you love and saving the earth needs to be found.
In Chapter 6, I was impressed with Beavan’s efforts to eat sustainably. This chapter was written in a way so that I could follow his thoughts and how they progressed. I liked being able to see some progression in his project. At first, he was hesitant to take on the sustainable eating part of the project, but then he found out more about sustainable eating from Alisa and James. Alisa and James added some credibility to Beavan’s choices in sustainable eating for me. Rather than Beavan making up his own rules, he let other’s experiments with a similar project reflect his own project. Although he could not be as strict as Alisa and James, he was able to do a lot with his sustainable eating. When I read, “That’s it: 250. That’s going to be my radius too,” I felt proud of Beavan (120). He combined what he learned from Alisa and James and added his own restrictions and took out what he couldn’t do (such as no milk since Bella needed milk). In doing this, I felt that Beavan became more human and relatable. He was undertaking a very strict project that not many people could do (myself included). When he had his moments of, as I would call them, humanity, I feel that I understood him more.
Thus far, Beavan’s attempt at sustainable eating has been the best part of the book for me. I feel that Beavan is achieving not only his goal of no impact on the earth, but also living a better life. He discusses this dilemma of how we should live our lives as humans: “It’s easier to figure out how to get another iPhone or a flat-screen TV or a trip to Bermuda or some other life distraction than to think about these questions. Like, How shall I live? Like, What is my life really for” (115). I have never seriously asked myself “what is my life really for” before. When Beavan asked this question, it got me asking myself other questions along the same lines: What am I supposed to do with my life? Is there a greater purpose to my life? Am I content with the way I am living, with the people I am surrounding myself with, with the actions I take? Overall, I realized that I am content with my life, although certain aspects could be changed. Rather than my father, mother, and I all driving cars in one day, could we take one car? Could I make an effort to go to the Chattanooga Market on Sundays to buy local foods rather than taking the easy way out and going to Greenlife? Beavan’s questions to himself cause me to question myself, and this is a recurring style choice throughout the book thus far. I like the questions, and I appreciate them because they make me think about my own life and what I could do better to help the planet.
I really enjoyed reading these two chapters because it was a great balance between facts and personal information. I loved hearing about cloth diapers and Michelle. Showing how everyone in his family was effected by the project helped to connect me to what was going on. I agree with Eller about how spending time with your family is more important than the fuel you would waste to drive and see them. I would like to ask Colin if he ever thought about prioritizing things like fuel or water compared to time with family and friends. I really enjoyed the connection to his wife throughout these chapters. I can understand why Michelle ate when she was stressed out and how she felt when she hadn't lost the weight she thought she would. His personal stories touch my heart and statistics put everything about plastic and paper into perspective for me. Also I feel like these chapters are written well because at the end of chapter 5 when Beavan talks about how things are looking up and everything is going well, I feel slightly relieved for him. I also feel like I am getting to know him and his family through this book, which doesn't happen often in books we read for English class. I never really know much about the authors of the book, just facts about them or information about the characters. I particularly like the line, "What I didn't expect was that this project that I started because I felt voiceless, helpless, and powerless is apparently giving me some sort of voice." (101). It gives me hope that we control how much power we have and how much voice we have, not others. Chapter 5 also opened my eyes to how much Americans use cars. When I drive to and from school and volleyball I never think about how many other cars are on the road. In fact, I only think about it when there are no cars on the road. If there are only a few cars on the road I think how strange the road looks with no cars on it also how it only happens at night. If I had the option to ride my bike to school, like Eller, I probably wouldn't, not because I want to spend that time with people, but because I am lazy and part of me thinks that I wouldn't stick to anything that makes me work early in the morning. Since I live 30 miles away from school, biking isn't an option and since I don't live near many other people who go to school here and do volleyball, carpool isn't much of an option. The information about cars and the US really spoke to me and it is saddening that I can't do anything about it.
After reading all the statistics about using cars, I, like Jordan, also felt helpless. I know that cars are harming the environment, but I feel that there is not a lot we can do about that. I definitely think that it's too late for us to all go back to the days when everyone walked. However, I liked when Beavan said, "I suppose the thing is that when they are created and done they are magical, but once we become addicted to them, once we have to have these things in order to feel just barely satisfied, they arent so magical after all" (98). So we don't have to go back to the days when people didn't use cars. Maybe we could just learn to appreciate this remarkable mode of transportation. Maybe we could stop taking cars for granted. I truly believe that would make us happier people. As for helping the environment, I think that getting people to use public transportation would be more effiecient than getting people to stop buying cars.
I absolutely loved the whole scene when Isabella and Beavan were jumping in the puddle on that rainy day. I thought it was so sweet! "People are running past. They look desperate, miserable, trying to get out of the rain. What has happened to us?" (88). I think this is a great example of living in the moment. Instead of rushing to another place to stay dry, Beavan and Isabella try to take full advantage of the rain. They realize that it's okay to get wet. It's okay to slow down and have fun in the present moment.
First, I just want to say that I love the stories about Michelle and Isabella that Beavan throws into his chapters every few pages. I just think that they're really entertaining and they really enlighten the mood. (Especially after there have been pages of statistics..)I just love seeing deeper into Michelle and Colin's relationship- they're cute! But anyway.. On page 92 and 93, Beavan talks about a public transit system that would be so efficient that we would want to cut cars out of our daily lives. I think this is a really good idea, it just seems so impossible. Maybe in the big cities this concept would be more easily implemented, but in Tennessee, for example, we don't all live 12 blocks down the road from school, or the grocery store, or the park, or our offices. So in a city like Chattanooga, this idea would fail. I got a little discouraged when I read this because it made me feel like there is so much that we could do to improve transportation issues, but so much of it would be so hard to carry out.
Next, it was clear that by walking to work, Michelle and Colin began to feel completely satisfied with their extent of excersize. "Excersize is a certain part of my life without trying, and I feel a certain sense of independence.." (85). Then Colin writes about an email from Michelle. "The other, who was quite overweight, was talking about how there is no way I'm going to buy a fourth-floor walkup because my body is too decrepit" (85). This made me laugh. I mean here you have two devoted people, and then you have an overweight girl who won't even walk up a flight of stairs because it hurts her body because she has allowed herself to get too overweight. Michelle, a mother, is walking more than an hour a day, while Colin, a father, is going up and down tens and tens of flights of stairs to deliver his daughter to her babysitter and then get to work; but, an obese girl won't even walk up a flight of stairs. It's comical. But my point is that, the fact that Colin and Michelle were finding satisfcation in using their bodies was such a refreshing part of this chapter. Not only were they helping their environment, but they were helping themselves.. and they were enjoying it- I thought that was realy cool.
I think that in these two chapters we have a lot to learn from Isabella. Beginning with page 86 when Colin and Isabella were walking home in the rain. As she started to cry, Beavan was haunted by the thought that, "Of course she [begins crying]...A no-impact dad, I'm ashamed to think, is a bad dad" 86). But she was crying because he was keeping her from experiencing the rain. After Colin lowers the umbrella, they don't just feel the rain, they experience it - they enjoy it. Colin is able to embrace something we usually hide from. He gained a child-like appreciation for what the world gives us. This is what we need to learn - we must gain a child-like appreciation for what the natural world gives us. And not just the natural world. Isabella also enjoys the scenery over the Brooklyn bridge so much that she asks her dad to stop so they can look at it, then asks if they can ride over it again on another day. She notices the things that we see every day, but don't really take the time to notice. The difference between "noticing" and "seeing" is very important because you can see something without taking it to heart and letting it change you, which you do by noticing it. By noticing what our world (natural as well as man-made) has to offer us, we can better appreciate it and forge a connection with the things around us. This connection forms an emotional bond and, possibly, a sense of obligation to protect what we are now bonded to. This obligation could serve as a conscience to motivate people to work towards sustainability because if you love something, don't you want to see it thrive? But how can you love something if you don't take the time to notice it?
I was both pleased and displeased with Beavan in these two chapters. His switch to a more relatable tone captured my attention and made the reading much easier. While I liked the way he made each passenger on a flight accountable for the pollution produced during the flight, I agree with Eller and Jordan in that I did not like the way he handled the holiday situation with his and Michelle's families. Time with family is precious and perhaps while practicing all other environmentally conscious habits throughout the year, we can spare taking that one flight a year to see our families. Also, Beavan says on page 99 "What if, in other words, we could find a way to make what's good for the planet good for us, too?" This makes me wonder why he did not choose to live closer to his parents to avoid long commutes home for the holidays.
As Beavan continues I like seeing how he progresses in his project and finds it more and more difficult to restrain controlling others' impact on the environment. Describing the Christmas scene as his family is wastingly throwing away wrapping paper he says, "Really, I am only judging myself," which I wholeheartedly believe (110). Although his objective in the beginning was to only take care of himself, as the reader, I find it comforting that he wants to help others lead a more sustaining life. I think it shows his true passion for the project, maybe a passion he did not expect. In the later chapters, I really loved how Beavan told the personal story of his uncle and brother. It definitely allowed me to connect with him on a different level, and showed me that he was not just a fact book about the environment, but a real person with real motive. When I read, "The truth, for me, may have more to do with the eight-month-old baby who died of a heart defect and the twenty-nine-year-old man who died when he truck a shot gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger," I then realized that no statistic is scary enough to make us want to make a difference. For example, Olivia had heard the same statistics as the classmate she encountered in the bathroom, yet those statistics impacted the classmate in a much heavier way, perhaps due to a previous occurrence. Like this, Beavan did not do this project simply because of statistics, statistics simply fueled his reasoning for the project.
One of the main things that stuck out to me in chapters 5 and 6 was the idea of "aloneness." A lot of this "aloneness" described in these chapters branches from feeling separated from everyone else because of the project. This feeling was conveyed after Beavan's family got frustrated with him because he couldn’t visit multiple times. Another time Beavan said he felt alone was after his bike accident. "I went up to the guy who hit me and reassured him that I would be all right. Why did I do that? Later, I realized that it was because I needed to connect with someone, because I didn’t want to think that the experience of nearly getting killed was one I had entirely alone. I wanted to pretend that he was in it with me."(104). This alone feeling he was having went away when he and Michelle began to entertain guests. He also said that the true project started when he was back at his old house, when the Beavans rode bikes together and were closer as a family. This concept of being lonely made me think back to our happiness conversation, with friends and family being a source of long term happiness. We spend so much time caught up in our schedules that we forget to leave time for our family and our friends. Personally, the time when I feel most alone is when I am the busiest with school and life; I block everyone out so that I can get things done, but not sharing my life with them leaves me feeling by myself. I loved this quote on page 84 "What we need is not to draw lines between people. We need to draw lines around them." It really captures the idea of being alone where there are constantly lines drawn between people. Instead we should draw lines around them to encompass them in our circle and include them in our lives.
As I read these chapters, I found myself craving knowledge about Beavan's family and his personal experiences. The statistics are interesting and put the information into perspective, but his experiences are what really makes this whole saving-the-world thing seem possible. My favorite parts, like Katie, are about Isabella and Michelle. On the other hand, I cannot believe how open Colin is about his family. How can he publish such personal things? The details of David and his uncle's deaths (113 ) and what the TV time is now used for (140) were very striking. While I will occasionally force myself not to cry in public, he gives me, a complete stranger, pain-filled memories. How does his family feel about these facts being public knowledge?
On another note, even though I admire Beavan, the person I find myself looking up to is Isabella. She takes pleasure in life where most of us would be bored. She enjoys the view on Brooklyn Bridge, plays with a chain, plays in the rain, and is excited about cloth diapers. How could life not be enjoyable when happiness is so easily found? I love even more the fact that Colin is not afraid to learn a lesson from his little girl. Instead of getting annoyed with Isabella for playing in the rain, he joins her. "She opens her mouth, sticks her tongue out and leans her head back. I try it, too" (88). Sarah quoted the line about Colin Beavan calling himself "a bad dad" (86), but I think he is an amazing father because he is letting his daughter enjoy life and has raised her so that she can appreciate the small things.
Like Eller, Jordan, and Julia discussed, I was confused on Beavan's decisions regarding the holidays. "You should worry…more about your family footprint" (83). I could definitely feel and relate to Beavan's family's disappointment in Chapter five (my oldest sister didn't think she would be able to come home from NYC for Thanksgiving because she originally chose to buy a different plane ticket). Especially since in class we've been discussing the importance of spending time with family in the short time we have, what really matters in life, true happiness, etc, I thought Beavan was going against what he originally stood for. However, at the same time, I understood where he was coming from. I understood that he could not half commit to his project. He had committed to not making an impact on the environment, and he felt that he needed to stick with it. I was partially agreeing with him until he started talking about what the plane rides and car trips would do to global warming. I actually went back and found the 10th grade research paper I wrote on the myths surrounding global warming. He says that certain greenhouse gases (like CO2) from transportation cause increased greenhouse effect, and therefore cause the warming of the planet. I would be curious to know, however, if he is aware that only .0055% of all greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, and that humans contribute to an even smaller percent than that (so the three percent plane carbon dioxide emission is really only about .000165%). Or that not only historical temperature records, but comprehensive ice core surveys show that carbon dioxide changes are actually products of temperature changes. I would have understood if Beavan said he decided to skip visiting with family because of his dedication to the project. But basically, when I read his global warming/carbon dioxide emissions reasons behind skipping Thanksgiving dinner and visiting Michelle's family in California, (I was actually confused on whether or not they decided to go to California or not) I felt like he was missing out on something extremely important for nothing.
I love the glimpses that we got into Beavan’s life in these two chapters and the changes that take place in them. A lot of the statements that he made really hit me on and made me think.
In the scene when he was walking with Isabella and they were splashing in rain puddles; “When did the child in me disappear?” This was so disheartening, but so very true. I can’t remember the last time I was walking and did something childish just for the heck of it, I mean yeah, I have fun hanging around with my friends, but that’s different.
And another statement that just grabbed me was: “Where do I find the time to make bread? Certainly, it’s not supposed to be, as it has sometimes been, How do I ding he time to spend time with my child? How did I let my life get set up that way… It’s a Luxury to have these adaptations. I’m lucky to have the time.” This brought me back to the topic in class the other day about the amount of time that we spend with our families. I really thought about it and the time I spend, not doing anything related to school, just hanging out is a rather pitiful amount compared to what I spend on homework. I want to change that.
Last night, I met my dad after Candlelight at Waffle House and we ate and talked and I enjoyed it so much. It means I’m working on this after 11 pm, but I enjoyed it so it’s worth it. And then I thought about the time I usually spend on Friday night just being a dork with my mom and watching shows on our DVR that we’ve been waiting to watch all week long. How relaxing those few hours are at the end of a long week full of stress. This chapter sort of reinforced how important my family is to me.
Just the fact that this entire thing was worth it to him because of his family and because of his friends and community was just another thing that made me smile. The part about inviting friends over to enjoy a simple meal and play Scrabble ® and how they rediscovered charades on page 137. And how people from his community are proud of him and following his blog. “I’m starting to change my life, too” (101).
I just love the scene where he tells his mother he won’t make it to his sister’s baby shower and how even though she is initially mad at him, his sister comes to respect his project. I also really liked the glimpses into his past like the bittersweet memories of his childhood home and the beauty of Cape Cod.
I also adored the cute interludes with Michelle and Isabella like buying the Zooter Scooter and the cloth diaper incident with a “puddle of pee the size of Lake Michigan.” Also the scene for Isabella’s birthday where all she wanted was a pair of second-hand gold slippers and Michelle’s issues with her coffee addiction.
The warmth and inclusiveness that was intertwined with the hard facts about cars and the statistics about the sea and greenhouse gasses tempered these chapters out a lot better than the overwhelming chunk of facts that was the previous two chapters.
Tonight’s reading really had me thinking about that balance we’re all suppose to attain in our lives, that should bring us happiness. I felt guilty by association with this lifestyle we’re all taught to live. Beavan’s project may be too extreme for many people, but it inspires me to take care of our natural habitat, and appreciate it more. I loved when they took their bike ride through his old town. That’s the way to see a place, by going in versus skirting around the outskirts only seeing what the tourists see. He’s learning to appreciate and I can see the effects of that as he’s slowed his lifestyle to focus on the few things that truly matter. It’s true what Mrs.Gahan said during class, we often focus on a bundle of things never really devoting ourselves to one because we’re spread so thin. Yet, what would it be like if we all devoted ourselves whole-heartedly to our family? Would we be happier? Peacefully, even? I think yes.
On another note, as everyone before has stated, how cool is Isabella? She’s just over one year old and she’s even inspiring her mother to use cloth diapers, and take bike rides. She’s experiencing what a real childhood should be like, getting to go biking and spend so much time with her family. I’m jealous not all children in America can get that nurture. She will grow up knowing how to appreciate her earth.
“’I don’t get it,’ my mother says. ‘The train will run whether you’re on it or not. What extra emission would it cause if you just climbed on?’” (82) This sentence, spoken by Beavan’s mother in chapter five, pretty much sums up how I’ve been feeling about this project so far. The other day, I saw a classmate in the bathroom, and we began discussing the book. She said that now, every time she picks up a napkin, she thinks about how much she doesn’t want to use it. I remember thinking “I wish I felt that concerned”, but honestly I didn’t. I think this is because I kept asking myself, “How can not using this one napkin help the environment?” I kept thinking “this tree has already been cut down and this napkin is going to end up in the trash anyway, so I might as well use it.” Since the napkin has already been made, does not using it really make a difference? I guess, theoretically, if everyone in the world stopped using napkins than yes, the napkin business would fail and stop cutting down trees and using energy to make the napkins, but does one person not using a napkin really matter? This is where I got stuck. From this point on, I really want to stop focusing on the question “can one person really make a different?” That question is really not what this book is about. It’s about living the change you would like to see in the world. Maybe not using that napkin really isn’t that big a deal in the grand scheme of things, but not using it can help me live the way I wish everyone would live. Chapter five really made me want to stop asking the question “what’s the point?”
ReplyDeleteAfter tonight’s reading, I felt like I could really relate to Colin. I started to think about all the attempts I’ve made to help the planet. My most recent project was riding my bike to school. Let’s just say, it failed. After watching the No Impact Man documentary in World Religions I was motivated to do something proactive, that something was riding my bike to school. It is a 15 minute bike ride of approximately 1.6 miles. My mother, much like Colin’s mother, was a little skeptical of my plan. She didn’t see the point in me riding my bike because I had to carpool my sister and a neighbor anyways. And since I was riding my bike they would be driving a car. Why shouldn’t I just pile in? Well, I didn’t ride my bike to school again, but it wasn’t until after reading Ch. 5 that I realized why I stopped riding my bike. Not only did I get to sleep in later and push less energy out my legs so early in the morning, but I got to spend those few minutes in the car with my sister and my friend. When Colin had to tell his mother and his sister that he wouldn’t be going to see them because of his project I started to wonder what kind of an effect his project was really having on his happiness and the happiness of the people around him. Personally, I think that spending time with family and being there for those you love is more important that wasting the energy it takes to get on a train and go somewhere. Since Colin’s book is all about improving his lifestyle and making it happier, shouldn’t he prioritize better? He mentions that he should not “allow this project to blind [him] to [his] propensity for self-righteousness.” (84) I’m not saying he did the wrong thing, he doesn’t think he did either, all I’m saying is that personally, I would have gone to that family Thanksgiving. You don’t get that time with your family back. A balance between spending time with people you love and saving the earth needs to be found.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 6, I was impressed with Beavan’s efforts to eat sustainably. This chapter was written in a way so that I could follow his thoughts and how they progressed. I liked being able to see some progression in his project. At first, he was hesitant to take on the sustainable eating part of the project, but then he found out more about sustainable eating from Alisa and James. Alisa and James added some credibility to Beavan’s choices in sustainable eating for me. Rather than Beavan making up his own rules, he let other’s experiments with a similar project reflect his own project. Although he could not be as strict as Alisa and James, he was able to do a lot with his sustainable eating. When I read, “That’s it: 250. That’s going to be my radius too,” I felt proud of Beavan (120). He combined what he learned from Alisa and James and added his own restrictions and took out what he couldn’t do (such as no milk since Bella needed milk). In doing this, I felt that Beavan became more human and relatable. He was undertaking a very strict project that not many people could do (myself included). When he had his moments of, as I would call them, humanity, I feel that I understood him more.
ReplyDeleteThus far, Beavan’s attempt at sustainable eating has been the best part of the book for me. I feel that Beavan is achieving not only his goal of no impact on the earth, but also living a better life. He discusses this dilemma of how we should live our lives as humans: “It’s easier to figure out how to get another iPhone or a flat-screen TV or a trip to Bermuda or some other life distraction than to think about these questions. Like, How shall I live? Like, What is my life really for” (115). I have never seriously asked myself “what is my life really for” before. When Beavan asked this question, it got me asking myself other questions along the same lines: What am I supposed to do with my life? Is there a greater purpose to my life? Am I content with the way I am living, with the people I am surrounding myself with, with the actions I take? Overall, I realized that I am content with my life, although certain aspects could be changed. Rather than my father, mother, and I all driving cars in one day, could we take one car? Could I make an effort to go to the Chattanooga Market on Sundays to buy local foods rather than taking the easy way out and going to Greenlife? Beavan’s questions to himself cause me to question myself, and this is a recurring style choice throughout the book thus far. I like the questions, and I appreciate them because they make me think about my own life and what I could do better to help the planet.
I really enjoyed reading these two chapters because it was a great balance between facts and personal information. I loved hearing about cloth diapers and Michelle. Showing how everyone in his family was effected by the project helped to connect me to what was going on. I agree with Eller about how spending time with your family is more important than the fuel you would waste to drive and see them. I would like to ask Colin if he ever thought about prioritizing things like fuel or water compared to time with family and friends. I really enjoyed the connection to his wife throughout these chapters. I can understand why Michelle ate when she was stressed out and how she felt when she hadn't lost the weight she thought she would. His personal stories touch my heart and statistics put everything about plastic and paper into perspective for me.
ReplyDeleteAlso I feel like these chapters are written well because at the end of chapter 5 when Beavan talks about how things are looking up and everything is going well, I feel slightly relieved for him. I also feel like I am getting to know him and his family through this book, which doesn't happen often in books we read for English class. I never really know much about the authors of the book, just facts about them or information about the characters. I particularly like the line, "What I didn't expect was that this project that I started because I felt voiceless, helpless, and powerless is apparently giving me some sort of voice." (101). It gives me hope that we control how much power we have and how much voice we have, not others.
Chapter 5 also opened my eyes to how much Americans use cars. When I drive to and from school and volleyball I never think about how many other cars are on the road. In fact, I only think about it when there are no cars on the road. If there are only a few cars on the road I think how strange the road looks with no cars on it also how it only happens at night. If I had the option to ride my bike to school, like Eller, I probably wouldn't, not because I want to spend that time with people, but because I am lazy and part of me thinks that I wouldn't stick to anything that makes me work early in the morning. Since I live 30 miles away from school, biking isn't an option and since I don't live near many other people who go to school here and do volleyball, carpool isn't much of an option. The information about cars and the US really spoke to me and it is saddening that I can't do anything about it.
After reading all the statistics about using cars, I, like Jordan, also felt helpless. I know that cars are harming the environment, but I feel that there is not a lot we can do about that. I definitely think that it's too late for us to all go back to the days when everyone walked. However, I liked when Beavan said, "I suppose the thing is that when they are created and done they are magical, but once we become addicted to them, once we have to have these things in order to feel just barely satisfied, they arent so magical after all" (98). So we don't have to go back to the days when people didn't use cars. Maybe we could just learn to appreciate this remarkable mode of transportation. Maybe we could stop taking cars for granted. I truly believe that would make us happier people. As for helping the environment, I think that getting people to use public transportation would be more effiecient than getting people to stop buying cars.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved the whole scene when Isabella and Beavan were jumping in the puddle on that rainy day. I thought it was so sweet! "People are running past. They look desperate, miserable, trying to get out of the rain. What has happened to us?" (88). I think this is a great example of living in the moment. Instead of rushing to another place to stay dry, Beavan and Isabella try to take full advantage of the rain. They realize that it's okay to get wet. It's okay to slow down and have fun in the present moment.
First, I just want to say that I love the stories about Michelle and Isabella that Beavan throws into his chapters every few pages. I just think that they're really entertaining and they really enlighten the mood. (Especially after there have been pages of statistics..)I just love seeing deeper into Michelle and Colin's relationship- they're cute!
ReplyDeleteBut anyway..
On page 92 and 93, Beavan talks about a public transit system that would be so efficient that we would want to cut cars out of our daily lives. I think this is a really good idea, it just seems so impossible. Maybe in the big cities this concept would be more easily implemented, but in Tennessee, for example, we don't all live 12 blocks down the road from school, or the grocery store, or the park, or our offices. So in a city like Chattanooga, this idea would fail. I got a little discouraged when I read this because it made me feel like there is so much that we could do to improve transportation issues, but so much of it would be so hard to carry out.
Next, it was clear that by walking to work, Michelle and Colin began to feel completely satisfied with their extent of excersize. "Excersize is a certain part of my life without trying, and I feel a certain sense of independence.." (85). Then Colin writes about an email from Michelle. "The other, who was quite overweight, was talking about how there is no way I'm going to buy a fourth-floor walkup because my body is too decrepit" (85). This made me laugh. I mean here you have two devoted people, and then you have an overweight girl who won't even walk up a flight of stairs because it hurts her body because she has allowed herself to get too overweight. Michelle, a mother, is walking more than an hour a day, while Colin, a father, is going up and down tens and tens of flights of stairs to deliver his daughter to her babysitter and then get to work; but, an obese girl won't even walk up a flight of stairs. It's comical. But my point is that, the fact that Colin and Michelle were finding satisfcation in using their bodies was such a refreshing part of this chapter. Not only were they helping their environment, but they were helping themselves.. and they were enjoying it- I thought that was realy cool.
I think that in these two chapters we have a lot to learn from Isabella. Beginning with page 86 when Colin and Isabella were walking home in the rain. As she started to cry, Beavan was haunted by the thought that, "Of course she [begins crying]...A no-impact dad, I'm ashamed to think, is a bad dad" 86). But she was crying because he was keeping her from experiencing the rain. After Colin lowers the umbrella, they don't just feel the rain, they experience it - they enjoy it. Colin is able to embrace something we usually hide from. He gained a child-like appreciation for what the world gives us.
ReplyDeleteThis is what we need to learn - we must gain a child-like appreciation for what the natural world gives us. And not just the natural world. Isabella also enjoys the scenery over the Brooklyn bridge so much that she asks her dad to stop so they can look at it, then asks if they can ride over it again on another day. She notices the things that we see every day, but don't really take the time to notice. The difference between "noticing" and "seeing" is very important because you can see something without taking it to heart and letting it change you, which you do by noticing it.
By noticing what our world (natural as well as man-made) has to offer us, we can better appreciate it and forge a connection with the things around us. This connection forms an emotional bond and, possibly, a sense of obligation to protect what we are now bonded to. This obligation could serve as a conscience to motivate people to work towards sustainability because if you love something, don't you want to see it thrive? But how can you love something if you don't take the time to notice it?
I was both pleased and displeased with Beavan in these two chapters. His switch to a more relatable tone captured my attention and made the reading much easier. While I liked the way he made each passenger on a flight accountable for the pollution produced during the flight, I agree with Eller and Jordan in that I did not like the way he handled the holiday situation with his and Michelle's families. Time with family is precious and perhaps while practicing all other environmentally conscious habits throughout the year, we can spare taking that one flight a year to see our families. Also, Beavan says on page 99 "What if, in other words, we could find a way to make what's good for the planet good for us, too?" This makes me wonder why he did not choose to live closer to his parents to avoid long commutes home for the holidays.
ReplyDeleteAs Beavan continues I like seeing how he progresses in his project and finds it more and more difficult to restrain controlling others' impact on the environment. Describing the Christmas scene as his family is wastingly throwing away wrapping paper he says, "Really, I am only judging myself," which I wholeheartedly believe (110). Although his objective in the beginning was to only take care of himself, as the reader, I find it comforting that he wants to help others lead a more sustaining life. I think it shows his true passion for the project, maybe a passion he did not expect. In the later chapters, I really loved how Beavan told the personal story of his uncle and brother. It definitely allowed me to connect with him on a different level, and showed me that he was not just a fact book about the environment, but a real person with real motive. When I read, "The truth, for me, may have more to do with the eight-month-old baby who died of a heart defect and the twenty-nine-year-old man who died when he truck a shot gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger," I then realized that no statistic is scary enough to make us want to make a difference. For example, Olivia had heard the same statistics as the classmate she encountered in the bathroom, yet those statistics impacted the classmate in a much heavier way, perhaps due to a previous occurrence. Like this, Beavan did not do this project simply because of statistics, statistics simply fueled his reasoning for the project.
One of the main things that stuck out to me in chapters 5 and 6 was the idea of "aloneness." A lot of this "aloneness" described in these chapters branches from feeling separated from everyone else because of the project. This feeling was conveyed after Beavan's family got frustrated with him because he couldn’t visit multiple times. Another time Beavan said he felt alone was after his bike accident. "I went up to the guy who hit me and reassured him that I would be all right. Why did I do that? Later, I realized that it was because I needed to connect with someone, because I didn’t want to think that the experience of nearly getting killed was one I had entirely alone. I wanted to pretend that he was in it with me."(104).
ReplyDeleteThis alone feeling he was having went away when he and Michelle began to entertain guests. He also said that the true project started when he was back at his old house, when the Beavans rode bikes together and were closer as a family. This concept of being lonely made me think back to our happiness conversation, with friends and family being a source of long term happiness. We spend so much time caught up in our schedules that we forget to leave time for our family and our friends. Personally, the time when I feel most alone is when I am the busiest with school and life; I block everyone out so that I can get things done, but not sharing my life with them leaves me feeling by myself.
I loved this quote on page 84 "What we need is not to draw lines between people. We need to draw lines around them." It really captures the idea of being alone where there are constantly lines drawn between people. Instead we should draw lines around them to encompass them in our circle and include them in our lives.
As I read these chapters, I found myself craving knowledge about Beavan's family and his personal experiences. The statistics are interesting and put the information into perspective, but his experiences are what really makes this whole saving-the-world thing seem possible. My favorite parts, like Katie, are about Isabella and Michelle. On the other hand, I cannot believe how open Colin is about his family. How can he publish such personal things? The details of David and his uncle's deaths (113 ) and what the TV time is now used for (140) were very striking. While I will occasionally force myself not to cry in public, he gives me, a complete stranger, pain-filled memories. How does his family feel about these facts being public knowledge?
ReplyDeleteOn another note, even though I admire Beavan, the person I find myself looking up to is Isabella. She takes pleasure in life where most of us would be bored. She enjoys the view on Brooklyn Bridge, plays with a chain, plays in the rain, and is excited about cloth diapers. How could life not be enjoyable when happiness is so easily found? I love even more the fact that Colin is not afraid to learn a lesson from his little girl. Instead of getting annoyed with Isabella for playing in the rain, he joins her. "She opens her mouth, sticks her tongue out and leans her head back. I try it, too" (88). Sarah quoted the line about Colin Beavan calling himself "a bad dad" (86), but I think he is an amazing father because he is letting his daughter enjoy life and has raised her so that she can appreciate the small things.
Like Eller, Jordan, and Julia discussed, I was confused on Beavan's decisions regarding the holidays. "You should worry…more about your family footprint" (83). I could definitely feel and relate to Beavan's family's disappointment in Chapter five (my oldest sister didn't think she would be able to come home from NYC for Thanksgiving because she originally chose to buy a different plane ticket). Especially since in class we've been discussing the importance of spending time with family in the short time we have, what really matters in life, true happiness, etc, I thought Beavan was going against what he originally stood for. However, at the same time, I understood where he was coming from. I understood that he could not half commit to his project. He had committed to not making an impact on the environment, and he felt that he needed to stick with it. I was partially agreeing with him until he started talking about what the plane rides and car trips would do to global warming. I actually went back and found the 10th grade research paper I wrote on the myths surrounding global warming. He says that certain greenhouse gases (like CO2) from transportation cause increased greenhouse effect, and therefore cause the warming of the planet. I would be curious to know, however, if he is aware that only .0055% of all greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, and that humans contribute to an even smaller percent than that (so the three percent plane carbon dioxide emission is really only about .000165%). Or that not only historical temperature records, but comprehensive ice core surveys show that carbon dioxide changes are actually products of temperature changes. I would have understood if Beavan said he decided to skip visiting with family because of his dedication to the project. But basically, when I read his global warming/carbon dioxide emissions reasons behind skipping Thanksgiving dinner and visiting Michelle's family in California, (I was actually confused on whether or not they decided to go to California or not) I felt like he was missing out on something extremely important for nothing.
ReplyDeleteI love the glimpses that we got into Beavan’s life in these two chapters and the changes that take place in them. A lot of the statements that he made really hit me on and made me think.
ReplyDeleteIn the scene when he was walking with Isabella and they were splashing in rain puddles; “When did the child in me disappear?” This was so disheartening, but so very true. I can’t remember the last time I was walking and did something childish just for the heck of it, I mean yeah, I have fun hanging around with my friends, but that’s different.
And another statement that just grabbed me was: “Where do I find the time to make bread? Certainly, it’s not supposed to be, as it has sometimes been, How do I ding he time to spend time with my child? How did I let my life get set up that way… It’s a Luxury to have these adaptations. I’m lucky to have the time.” This brought me back to the topic in class the other day about the amount of time that we spend with our families. I really thought about it and the time I spend, not doing anything related to school, just hanging out is a rather pitiful amount compared to what I spend on homework. I want to change that.
Last night, I met my dad after Candlelight at Waffle House and we ate and talked and I enjoyed it so much. It means I’m working on this after 11 pm, but I enjoyed it so it’s worth it. And then I thought about the time I usually spend on Friday night just being a dork with my mom and watching shows on our DVR that we’ve been waiting to watch all week long. How relaxing those few hours are at the end of a long week full of stress. This chapter sort of reinforced how important my family is to me.
Just the fact that this entire thing was worth it to him because of his family and because of his friends and community was just another thing that made me smile. The part about inviting friends over to enjoy a simple meal and play Scrabble ® and how they rediscovered charades on page 137. And how people from his community are proud of him and following his blog. “I’m starting to change my life, too” (101).
I just love the scene where he tells his mother he won’t make it to his sister’s baby shower and how even though she is initially mad at him, his sister comes to respect his project. I also really liked the glimpses into his past like the bittersweet memories of his childhood home and the beauty of Cape Cod.
I also adored the cute interludes with Michelle and Isabella like buying the Zooter Scooter and the cloth diaper incident with a “puddle of pee the size of Lake Michigan.” Also the scene for Isabella’s birthday where all she wanted was a pair of second-hand gold slippers and Michelle’s issues with her coffee addiction.
The warmth and inclusiveness that was intertwined with the hard facts about cars and the statistics about the sea and greenhouse gasses tempered these chapters out a lot better than the overwhelming chunk of facts that was the previous two chapters.
Tonight’s reading really had me thinking about that balance we’re all suppose to attain in our lives, that should bring us happiness. I felt guilty by association with this lifestyle we’re all taught to live. Beavan’s project may be too extreme for many people, but it inspires me to take care of our natural habitat, and appreciate it more. I loved when they took their bike ride through his old town. That’s the way to see a place, by going in versus skirting around the outskirts only seeing what the tourists see. He’s learning to appreciate and I can see the effects of that as he’s slowed his lifestyle to focus on the few things that truly matter. It’s true what Mrs.Gahan said during class, we often focus on a bundle of things never really devoting ourselves to one because we’re spread so thin. Yet, what would it be like if we all devoted ourselves whole-heartedly to our family? Would we be happier? Peacefully, even? I think yes.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, as everyone before has stated, how cool is Isabella? She’s just over one year old and she’s even inspiring her mother to use cloth diapers, and take bike rides. She’s experiencing what a real childhood should be like, getting to go biking and spend so much time with her family. I’m jealous not all children in America can get that nurture. She will grow up knowing how to appreciate her earth.