Filed under: Society + Media | Tags: sustainability, Wal-Mart, Adam Werbach, Clorox Greenworks
Photo: MacGBeing, Flickr
A “media and the environment” class is been something that I would have never seen myself signing up for a year ago. I was about the farthest thing away from a “green” person. And if you said the word “sustainability” to me, I probably would have given you a blank stare and moved on with my life. But as we learned in our last meeting, living sustainably – can’t really be defined. WE are the ones that define it for ourselves. In our interview with Adam Werbach, however, he said it best though when his definition of sustainability was “a harmonious relationship between human culture and the living world.” Congratulations Adam, we have spent an entire semester trying to define it like that, and you did it in like, 15 seconds, and it was a beautiful.
I looked back at my first post, where I was talking about taking baby steps in my own life and how that was how I was going to live sustainably. Today, I still believe that. I still believe that people need time to change, and they need to find some sort of comfort in making those changes. So if Clorox wants to gradually convert it’s consumers to “green products,” then I applaud them for doing so. If Wal-Mart is STARTING to make changes to be more eco-friendly, I applaud them too. I’m not going to be a pessimist and say they will never be a “green” corporation. I choose to be an optimist. I choose to believe that they will continue to make their corporation more environmentally friendly, and become an example for other corporations to follow.
I also choose to believe that what we did in this class HAS made a difference. By just talking about these issues, and making ourselves known on this blog – I think we accomplished what this class was all about. People are starting to change the way they live, companies are realizing how important it is for them to be sustainable, and “living green” is starting to be a way of life for more people.
As our class is coming to an end, I am taking away so many things I have learned from all of you. I have met people who truly care about the environment, and I’m proud of the huge conversation we have begun as a class. I look forward to continuing that conversation in the future.
-Sarah Nelson
Filed under: Society + Media | Tags: cat training, darth vader, Dr dolittle, environment
My hands full, I fumbled through the front door, cursing whomever turned off the porch light as I tripped over an anonymous object in my way. Most of the lights inside, though, were on – as was the radio and a box fan. The culprits were clear : Bijou, Luna, and Linus – my feline house mates – were lounging in the family room, enjoying a little late night NPR. It was at that moment that I had a revelation. All of our discussions about how to reach people, how to get people to make daily behavioral changes to lessen their environmental impact – this whole time we’ve been going at it the wrong way. We need to learn to speak to the animals (If only Rex Harrison were still here… at least there’s always the movie).
Let’s replay last night, shall we? I come home, again cursing the porch light, and then once more cursing that I’m juggling books and bags and trying to find the kitchen light switch. That’s right, the lights are all off, the house is silent, and there is little air circulation. My human house mates did not spontaneously decide, ‘Today is the day I remember to flip the switch off before running madly out the door because I’m already 15 minutes late’. No, my feline house mates, equipped with the knowledge I imparted upon them after learning to speak cat, leisurely turned off all the electronics and lights they did not need after the humans were gone. A few more sessions and I’ll have them unplugging any appliances not in use – then we’ll really be in business!
We spent this class working to figure out how to really reach people, how to make the environment a part of their decision-making process. We oscillated between meeting people where they are and bringing them over to go further and do more. People in this country are busy, too busy, and when people are rushing they forget things: where the car keys are, where the other shoe is, turning off lights and unplugging hair driers. Adding one more thing to their To Do list, albeit for a good cause like saving the earth and our planetary existence, is not typically well-received. That doesn’t mean we should give up on humans and try to communicate with people’s pets instead.
Finding that middle ground is something I, and all of us, can continue to strive for. Some of us may want to work with people and try to pull them into that infamous light green category, while others of us may want to pull those light greens over to the dark side. (I recommend not starting intergalactic warfare to achieve this means, but hey, Darth Vader would support you.) All in all, I’ve recognized that all of our voices are needed, as is every other voice we connect to with what we write, say, or do.
But seriously, one of my cats – Luna – has real potential here. She really freaked me out one time: I was washing my face and she jumped up onto the toilet next to the sink, turned around, squatted down, and -no joke – pissed into the toilet. She hopped down and sauntered off – no big deal. I just stood there, soap-faced, mouth open, amazed. I really think she could get on board with the whole light switch thing…
Jennifer Kongs
