Wednesday July 13, 2005
105
Two 30-year-old professionals who are friends and typical Americans—i.e., ravenous consumers of fossil fuels such as gas and electricity—go ‘back to the future’ and learn to live without the natural resources that will be depleted from our earth in the not-too-distant future. To do this they’ll uproot themselves and move to an ‘eco village’ in Missouri to live 100% OFF THE GRID. As they set up house in a former 3,000 bushel grain bin, they will sustain themselves on a clean power such as solar and wind, recycle all their waste (both food and human), live in a car-free culture, grow and eat only organic foods and conserve their water use with solar showers and rain-catch systems. Can these fossil fuel addicts wean themselves from their consumptive habits without their lives falling apart? Will they thrive in a community that is the total opposite their New Jersey neighborhood? And will the ecological solutions they learn stick once their Thirty Days are up?
Write a Recap »This episode follows two 30-something city folks, and puts them into a live off the land enviornment. They struggle to learn about what living organically really means. hide show
I love this one. It teaches me a lot about my own daily habits, and how they are contributing to the ever growing hole in the o-zone layer. Granted I don't think I make that much refuse, but add it together with a family of 4, and that's plenty of garbage my friend. And who could forget the lovable "Meato" (Vito) Who was really fighting to get throught the day. Well I hope he learned something from the experience, and we could all do our part to make a better world.
For as much as it tries, it is still just Reality TV hide show
I happen to like the show a lot. Most of the other episodes tend to be fair and honest as one can be when taking a very one-sided approach to an issue. The point is clear that Americans do have a much heavier impact on global scale than most know. But I am not certain that you can hit home with a special about two city-dwellers trying to make it work on an eco-village for 30 days. This only makes for good TV, which is obviously the full intention of this episode.
To make it clear, I found the show very informative and learned more interesting information about bio-diesel and hu-manure as well as using manure as an energy source. The way that people live in eco-villages is amazing and they deserve to be acknowledged for what a small strain the put on the environment. Unfortunately, the show does not make it clear that not that much has to be sacrificed to live that way. You can still eat meat, watch TV, drink, drive, and enjoy a happy life by living this way.
The show made it seem as if the two test cases were in complete misery while there, but in a response from Dancing Rabbit, it wasn’t as bad as reality TV perceived it to be. Check it out here: http://www.dancingrabbit.org/30Days_response.php
Simply put, the show is bold and superior to any other reality show out there because they don’t focus on the superficial situations that, deep down, no one really cares about. They focus on the hard issues that we, as compassionate human beings, really do care about, but aren’t necessarily aware of because of the flood of worthless reality shows that already exist today. However, if 30 days continues down this path of misrepresentation of events and slight of hand for the benefit of creating interesting reality TV, then they are really no better than the other reality TV.
Not the series best episode, but still very informative. If you look around your room now and find you are very dependent on the luxuries of automation, electrisity and fossil fuels, then this episode is the one to watch. And everyone that watches this sh hide show
Lets start off by saying i'm a big fan of this show. I loved it from the beginning, and like the fact that it puts pure opposites in the same environment. The show, in my oppinion, could just as well be called a reality check.
The two friends living off the grid for 30 days, I have nothing good to say about. They are really addicted to the way of life that is "the american way of life". They are the perfect pair for this episode, at times to perfect as they, in lack of a better word, whine alot.
This episode was a very informative one. I myself learned a great deal about the possibilities of alternate energy sources. Though the guys they are living with are very extreme in their ways of living, they do teach some valuable lessons that should be heard. I would not go out and start stomping "hu-manure" at once, but in moderation i think I may have something to add to their cause. The fact that if every one on the planet moderated themself just a bit will make a difference, and that really shows in this episode.
Starting to dislike the show's structure. hide show
The first episode of 30 Days is still, definately, the best. Spurlock put his on life on the line to make a fantastic 45min documentary on the state of the American working poor.
4 episodes later we have two well off Americans whinging for 30 days about not having any meat or hair products. Spurlock and the gentlemen in the second, third and forth episodes really looked like they were trying to learn something, basically on a sliding scale (anti-age, then muslim, then gay).
Spurlock either needs to put himself back in the game, or find people willing to literally make their life the subject for the 30 days. Otherwise I honestly can't see this being as fantastic as it could for another season.
Bringing two typical people to a place where the usage of modern marvels has been replaced by environmentally friendly methods. Watch as they go through ups and downs in trying to adjust to life off of the grid. hide show
Emotional Appeal
Although interesting, emotionally there was little or no real connection to the viewer in this episode. At times the episode seemed more like your typical reality show, then more of a documentary.
Interest
The story was interesting, but really lacked many factors that were strong in the more recent episodes. If the subject of the environment wasn't such a widespread one, the episode may of suffered the fate of falling flat.
Education Value
For many, this episode could of provided insight to how life can be without the use of fossil fuels.
Overall
This episode was above average, but still was far weaker then the first three episodes of the season. The people involved added some interest, but then again they also added some downfall to the overall presentation. The attitudes and responses given by those taking the 30 Day Challenge almost made you not want to see the end. Yet, in the end.. the outome was just like the rest of the episodes in the series.. the 30 day challengers learned from their month.
-Jago
mtjaws
Editor
emaldalani
tvfa
bboys577
