Eco Hypocrisy Run Wild

One great thing about liberal do gooders they never fail us when we need some entertainment and a good hard laugh. Case in point the self-appointed "No Impact Man," Colin Beavan and his wife Michelle Conlin a pair of prosperous Manhattan writers.
The two have adopted a no impact lifestyle using no plastic, using no transportation that runs on fossil fuel, generating no trash, eating no food not grown more than 250 miles from New York City, they've even turned off the electricity in their Midtown Apartment. The idea is that these two can prevent global warming by giving up the modern lifestyle for one year.
This whole farce is so ridiculous I don't know where to begin, Beavan claims he isn't making an impact yet what about his media activities. He's doing this because he wants to write and sell a book, he has the book deal already signed. Think about that thousands of trees will be cut down to get the paper for the book, the trees will be cut down by diesel powered machines and hauled to the paper mill by diesel burning trucks. The paper will be moved to the printing plant by diesel powered trucks or trains. Then the printed books will be moved to Barns and Noble by diesel burning trucks. After his year's exile from the 21st Century, Beavan will undoubtedly embark upon a book tour flying around the country in jets to sell the volume.
If Beavan were serious he wouldn't write his book or he'd post a free paperless e-book on line. He doesn't. Nor does his wife abandon her job at Business Week banging away on a computer what powers it, all day, contributing articles to a magazine that contributes to global warming.
Beavan's little exercise in self important hypocrisy is the modern equivalent of a hair shirt. When they weren't hacking their enemies to death with swords or pillaging their neighbors for profit Medieval despots would put on uncomfortable shirts made of rough hair to prove they were good Christians living a simple life.
Beavan's simple life in Manhattan is a the modern equivalent of a hair shirt, he isn't giving up any of the power and privilege of being part of our pampered media elite. Only sacrificing some of its trappings. If Beavan were serious he'd give up his book contract, talk his wife into quitting Business Week, move to some small town, take a job teaching high school and live on an Organic Farm. The fact that he doesn't should tell us something aobut this guy.
Some say Beavan and his wife are simply going back a hundred years ago that's not true. A century ago an upper middle class couple like the Beavans would have had several servants who did all the house work by hand no impact on the environment. They would have travelled about by horse drawn cab, streetcar or subway and would have eaten foods brought in from all corners of the world by coal burning ships. Not I don't see Beavan waiting for the street car wearing a bowler hat.
Okay maybe Beavan wants to go back 150 years then he would have eaten food grown around New York or brought in by eco friendly canal boats. I'm sure a peacenick like Beavan would have loved 1850s New York. It was a lovely place, a well heeled gentleman like Mr. Beavan had to carry a weapon a sword or gun and know how to use it. Effective police forces were a half century in the future. If you ran into a mugger you'd better be ready to fight or give up your money. Oh and forget about democracy in the 1850s any citizen who tried to vote had to put up with armed gang members who had orders to cave in the head of anybody who voted for the wrong party.
Or 1860s New York, would Mr. Beavan have volunteered for service in the Union Army or paid one of his neighbors to go in his stead as wealthy Yankees did during the Civil War. Note I'm not even mentioning the lack of modern medicine here.
Beavan has a two year old daughter, I bet he takes her to the doctor when she gets sick and takes advantage of modern medicine.
The "No Impact Man" is a joke and a very bad one. With all the time and effort Beavan wastes on his hair shirt lifestyle he could make a real difference. For example he could spend his time promoting high speed trains, mass transit, commuter rail and electrification of the railroads things that won't attract the attention of the New York Times but would tremendously reduce our generation of Green House gases. Of course the Grey Lady would ignore these things but it'll pay attention to Mr. Beavan's hypocrisy.
The best way to deal with the No Impact is the sane way most Americans will treat him they'll ignore him as the arrogant crackpot he is. Imagine what would happen ifthe media did that, after about a week, Beavan would give up start taking the subway and eating Chinese takeout again and nobody will notice.
Hopefully, the sick reality TV lifestyle Beavan and his wife are inflicting on their daughter will end. Or maybe public laughter will put an end to this stupidity.