By Tyler Hayes

It turns out you don’t need footprints to get a following. At least, Colin Beavan didn’t.

Beavan’s 2009 book, blog and documentary, titled “No Impact Man,” will debut as UK’s common reading experience for incoming freshmen. Last year’s CRE was “Zeitoun” by Dave Eggers.

“No Impact Man” is a book about Beavan attempting to make no impact, or carbon footprint, on the earth for an entire year. A documentary was filmed and released in September 2009, and there is a blog that still exists where he describes the experiences in the book.

The book will be a required reading for the 2011 freshman class, but it isn’t just the freshmen who will be required to read this book.

The book is already making a debut on certain parts of campus. For example, the Honors Program is doing its own project with Beavan’s book.

The Honors Program usually has its own CRE for its incoming freshmen. This year, it is challenging the freshmen and all of the honors students to read the university-wide CRE book alongside the program’s book. The program plans to follow in Beavan’s footsteps as well. All 800 students in the Honors Program are asked to read the same copy of the book to go along with the book’s theme of having a small impact.

Meg Marquis, senior academic coordinator for the Honors Program, said the program has received nothing but positive feedback about the project.

“Students are reading each other’s posted notes and highlighted sections,” she said.

Marquis said there were reasons for having Honors Program students read the CRE book.

“We have lots of active leaders in the honors program, and that includes future K Crew members,” Marquis said. “We need them to guide more students. We wanted them to be more in touch with the rest of campus.”