Colin Beavan

Who is Colin Beavan?

Colin Beavan is an American non-fiction writer and internet blogger noted for recording the attempts of his family to live a "zero impact" lifestyle in New York City for one year. The rules of the experiment included producing no trash save for compost, purchasing no goods except for food grown within a 250-mile radius, using no carbon-based transportation, and using no paper products, including toilet paper. He and his family are the subject of a documentary, No Impact Man: The Documentary. A book about the year-long experiment was released in September 2009.

Beavan was named one of MSN’s Ten Most Influential Men of 2007 and was named an Eco-Illuminator in Elle Magazine's 2008 Green Awards. His blog NoImpactMan.com was named one of the world’s top 15 environmental websites by Time Magazine.

In May 2012, Beavan announced he would run for the United States House of Representatives seat representing New York's 8th congressional district, running as the nominee of the Green Party. Beavan lost the general election to Hakeem Jeffries, a member of the New York State Assembly.