Look what I came across in COMM 2P51...

Rachel Carson excerpt from her book, Silent Spring, which we read about and discussed in COMM 4P18...popular lady!

LOL

Just a little humour for the end of term...

Preserve with Salts!

My mom used to be a hot yoga teacher and now practices yoga on a regular basis, so I am often introduced organic forms of consumption, considering yoga generally instils oneness with the Earth and other beings, etc. Although Lululemon is popularly associated with the practice of yoga, we came across another company who specializes in the fabrication of fitness apparel called Salts Organic Clothing, based in Victoria BC. The clothing can be purchased at various locations in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New York City, or online. On the company's "About" page, they discuss the use of salts in ancient cultures as preservatives, and chose the name to communicate the importance of preserving our Earth. The clothing is said to be made of "hemp, organic cottons, soy, merino wool and other natural fibres," which is locally made in a sustainable manner, supporting Fair Trade and Eco Fashion Manufacturing.

In 2010, marketers sent a new message to consumers, insinuating an "it's not us, it's you" attitude according to Neff, Steinberg, and Zmuda (2010). They discuss the idea that advertising is shifting its focus to consumer behaviour, which links to Salts business model as it encourages consumers to base their consumption on "green" ideals. Rather than bashing current buying trends, Salts takes a more positive approach, placing the responsibility on the consumer to make the right decision and buy a locally manufactured, and eco-friendly wardrobe. Similarly, the authors note the Sierra Club CEO's opinion that, marketing is now "about taking the journey along with the consumer," and involving them in the decision to lead a greener lifestyle (Neff, Steinberg, & Zmuda, 2010).

Shop green at http://www.saltsorganic.com/index.html!
Marlee

Forbes' Take on Greenwashing

According to Forbes, litigations of false advertising rates are on the rise, with more and more companies promoting themselves as 'green,' when in fact, these ideas are misleading consumers. California has seen a number of lawsuits in terms of "greenwashing," the idea that marketing a product as 'green' is deceptive in nature. Two California cases mentioned in the Forbes article indicate greenwashing surrounding two water bottle companies; one that does not biodegrade as claimed, and another whose manufacturing, packaging, and transportation, "causes “as much, if not more, of an adverse environmental impact when compared to similar bottled waters” (Forbes, 2012). Rienzo and Lapinski notice that, "there is a growing recognition that consumers support protecting the natural environment," leading marketers and businesses to desire a more environmentally friendly image (2008). The article discusses the possible domino effect greenwashing can have, providing the example of a business owner who wants to "green" her company. Considering the business owner wants to rent to higher paying tenants, she begins the LEED Gold certification process for her building. LEED requires the use of low volatile organic compound, however if she learns she has been "greenwashed," her lease may immediately be revoked, she may have to pay back her loan in full, she may lose her property on foreclosure, and the tenant could ultimately sue for damages caused (Forbes, 2012). Although this describes an extreme case, it proves what deceptive advertising can lead to. Rienzo and Lapinski also note that, "If consumers do perceive violations of the maxims in green advertisements, this should influence their attitudes toward the advertisement and the company," suggesting companies will lose merit and credibility based on greenwashing tactics (2008). I also encountered the LEED certification standards in my second project on the greening of Tim Horton's. Although Tim Horton's received the certification, it leads me to wonder what sort of greenwashing the company came across in gaining such recognition.

The full Forbes article can be found here:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2012/03/20/greenwashing-deceptive-business-claims-of-eco-friendliness/

Shop carefully!
Marlee

Pesticide Free

Over the summer and fall I visited my dad and step mom in London quite a bit, while my boyfriend and I helped renovate a new house they purchased. Travelling around the city I noticed an incredible (and unusual) amount of dandelions growing along streets, on people's lawns, and in the most public and usually maintained places. I was confused, so I inquired with my step mom about the excessive dandelion dilemma in London. She told me there was a recent ban on cosmetic pesticide use in the city and it all began to make sense. However, I had not noticed an unusual amount of weeds at home in Niagara, and the ban is "Ontario wide" according to the City of London's website.

http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Growing_Naturally/Pesticidefree.htm

This ban got me thinking about Carson's literature, "Silent Spring," which we discussed in 4P18. As today is the American Thanksgiving, it is appropriate to note Carson's reminder that "a few years ago they went without cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, rather than risk eating berries contaminated with a cancer-inducing chemical used improperly by some growers..." suggesting that such pesticides are a killer (New York Times, 1962). The book review we discussed in class notes that, "Carson gives most of her attention to insecticides, herbicides and fungicides, since these are the most dangerous of poisons," and likely the most utilized to adhere to the cosmetic standards the media sets as "right" for an aesthetically pleasing landscape. In fact, the City of London's website announcement of the ban specifically states, "Ontario’s Cosmetic Pesticide Ban prohibits the sale and use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes on lawns, gardens, parks and school yards, and includes many herbicides, fungicides and insecticides." Carson seemed to have little faith in the government to help instil her values, but it seems to have guided governments into a more eco-friendly mindset, despite the growing unattractiveness of  dandelion clad lawns (pun intended).

Enjoy your pesticide free cranberries this Thanksgiving! 
Marlee

Yummy and Eco Friendly Consumerism

As I was shopping in the grocery store the other day, I perused the organic section out of curiosity. I noticed these large bags of cereal in boxes in the middle of the grocery store floor, with environmental messages written all over it. Taking a closer look, I could see the brand was called "Sally's." After purchasing a bag, I went home to look into who Sally's was as a company. Not only is the cereal delicious, but their product website claims to, "eliminate the excess box packaging of our ready-to-eat cereals and purchase wind energy credits to offset 100% of the electricity consumed by the production of Sally's cereals." The company also seeks to "reduce waste and improve energy, water and material efficiencies" in the processing of their cereals. Their packaging technique only uses a bag, while standard cereal packaging includes a bag and a box. This box elimination actually reduces consumer packaging waste by 75%. Another benefit is the delicious and unique flavours, which make Sally's cereal another promising buy. Their cereal line includes: Cinnamon Bliss, Cocoa Sweets, Marshmallow Moment, Sweet Wheat Bundles, Apples and Cinnamon, and a variety of others. This product line creates a way for consumers to continue consuming a common breakfast item from their regular grocery location, in an environmentally responsible way.

Eat and be merry!
Marlee

Environmental Animation

Nicole Starosielski's reading, "Movements that are drawn," triggered my interest because as a child, I remember being so enthralled by movies and literature with environmental undertones such as, Fern Gully, The Lion King, Rescuers Down Under, A Bug's Life, and Dr. Seuss's original book, The Lorax (2011). Although I really didn't understand the environmental concepts being presented to me at the time, these movies remain, to this day, some of my favourite and most memorable. Starosielski talks about animation being a venue for "environmental representation," one where we can begin to capture the hearts of children while presenting environmental issues. She defines environmental animation as "a genre of environmental media that uses animated form to deliberately construct knowledge about the social and ecological processes that affect us..." such as that presented in The Lorax, a rather unrealistic view of the world with very current and real environmental problems. She goes on to argue that environmental animation places viewers in "imperceptible environments," which is true of the upcoming 2013 movie, "Epic." I've included the trailer, which gives viewers a look into the only imagined world, with an obvious focus on the environment.

Watching the trailer almost takes me back to being a child, being wondrous and compelled by the simple things nature has to offer. These films have the potential to raise environmental awareness on global scales. Fern Gully, for example, made its mark on environmental history during its 1992 Earth Day release at the United Nations General Assembly Hall, gaining "a central place in the iconography of global, mainstream environmentalism," according to Starosielski. More recently, Avatar attracted massive environmental attention, being both praised and criticized for its depiction of corporate illegitimacy. I agree with Starosielski when she states, "...this article argues that the potential of these texts for both viewers and filmmakers lies in their creation of imperceptible and imagined worlds. Environmental animation should not be considered secondary to indexical forms, but instead as providing views difficult to achieve with indexical mediation," implying that environmental animation should be taken seriously and is a platform that can carry the message to an array of audiences, highly educated in environmentalism, or not.

Have an EPIC day!
Marlee

Sustainable Beauty

As I was walking into my hair salon on Wednesday, I noticed a sticker on the door that indicated it was a "Green Circle Salon," which naturally caught my attention because of my enrolment in this class. I always knew my hair salon used Aveda colour and products, whose mission is, "to care for the world we live in, from the products we make to the way in which we give back to society. At Aveda we strive to set an example for environmental leadership and responsibility, not just in the world of beauty, but around the world." However, I had no idea that I was regularly getting my hair done at a salon recognized for green excellence, which makes me feel pretty good! The idea of researching "Green Circle Salons" really interested me when I learned our weekly topic involved researching environmental communication, so I wanted to share for anyone who shared my interest in sustainability in the world of beauty. Although the hair and makeup industry is typically associated with materialism and negative environmental connotations, there is hope with the introduction of product companies, like Aveda and membership programs like GCS to encourage environmental sustainability in the market.

Aveda hair products: http://www.aveda.com/discover/index.tmpl#section=mission

Green Circle Salons: http://www.greencirclesalons.ca

Stay beautiful!
Marlee

The Danger of Social Media

Facebook has created a new breeding ground for environmental activism, however it has also contributed to new problems for the environmental advocate! In late October of this year, Esperlita Garcia, an environmental activist in the Philippines was arrested based on a Facebook post regarding an halted anti-mining rally. In the digital age, there is an importance of social media outlets for organizations such as Greenpeace, a highly recognized environmental activism organization. Despite its convenience, Facebook can cause problems because of its publicity, especially in places of the world where democratic rights are limited. DeLuca's reading notes that, "we have to take into account that in many countries the issue of climate change is reflected very differently within the respective stages of developed and developing countries," which goes for other environmental issues as well (2009). Included below is a link to the article for reference. In my opinion, it is important for advocates of environmentalism to continue using their voice in such countries in order to spread knowledge. Education is everything!

http://digitaljournal.com/article/335203

Peace & Love,
Marlee

Materialism and the Environment

This week in class we explored the relationship between materialism and the environment. Jennifer Good's study "explores whether materialism may be mediating the relationship between television viewing and environmental attitudes as well as the possible implications for such mediation," suggesting that the more TV one watches, the less apathy or concern one feels for the environment (Good, 2007). It was also found that within every hour of TV broadcasting, approximately 7-21 minutes are dedicated to sales pitches for a variety of goods and services. In reading this, it occurred to me that environmental activism in advertising is almost non-existant when it comes to materialistic desires of our capitalist society. I am not an environmental activist by any means, but as I was applying my makeup the morning after reading this, I began thinking that my seemingly harmless cosmetics are probably tested on animals, and that a sacrifice is being made for me to enhance my appearance every morning; a superficial practice that takes place in many women's lives on a daily basis. Although I would never give up my daily makeup routine, I would consider purchasing makeup that is cruelty free. Youths are especially susceptible to media messages. Churchill & Moschis found a positive correlation between adolescence' TV viewing and their materialism according to Good (2007), therefore, it is important to introduce rookie makeup artists to cruelty free cosmetics, so they too can make educated decisions when purchasing makeup. It is nearly impossible to be materialistic and consumed with environmental awareness. Schumacher argues that "an attitude of life which seeks fulfillment in the single-minded pursuit of wealth - in short, materialism - does not fit into this world, because it contains within itself no limiting principle, while the environment in which it is placed is strictly limited" (Good, 2007). In response to this, I've provided a link to PETA's list of cosmetic companies that test on animals, so myself and others can make better assumptions when buying our next favourite lip gloss or eye shadow!

http://www.peta.org/living/beauty-and-personal-care/companies/162.aspx?SearchUrl=%2Fliving%2Fbeauty-and-personal-care%2Fcompanies%2Fsearch.aspx%3FTesting%3D1%26Range%3D5

Happy purchasing!
Marlee

How is the Environment Communicated?

For my first project I analyzed three environmental organization's homepages and identified differences between Canadian, European, and international methods of communicating about the environment. I looked at the David Suzuki Foundation for my Canadian analysis, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency for European analysis, and Greenpeace International to explore communication towards a global community. I found that the David Suzuki Foundation and the NIEA utilize a much less "in your face," method of communicating about the environment than Greenpeace does. The Canadian and European sites communicated about the environment using positive words, insinuating a sense of optimism for the future of our environment, whereas Greenpeace used negative words that attempted to scare individuals into donating and helping a cause that is ultimately going to doom our society. With social networking on the rise, it is evident that all three organizations associated with either Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Pinterest, or a mixture. There are lots of interesting comparisons to explore, so I've invited you to investigate on your own! The links below will take you to each site...


http://www.davidsuzuki.org

http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea//

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/

Happy hunting!
Marlee

Protesting Ecotourism

No thanks was given to Marineland this Thanksgiving Sunday! The Toronto Star featured a story today about angry protesters crowding Marineland on its last open day of the season. This location of ecotourism has received plenty of negative publicity this summer. Milstein looks at how Western zoo institutions structure and frame the natural environment and animals. She explores three "dialects" in the traditional Western zoo setting. First she determines there is an inherent "mastery over nature" that is somehow linked to progress in society (Milstein, 2009). Second, she relates North American ideology to the idea that humans see themselves as the "dominant" species, with animals and other beings in nature being subordinate (Milstein, 2009). Third, she explores exploitation of nature, suggesting that the environment is "something that exists to be appropriated and commodified for ever-increasing accumulation and profits within global political economic frameworks." Due to these predominant dialects surrounding the zoo industry, there exists a tension, considering zoos and other institutions that house foreign animals are often illustrated as educational and conservational establishments. Ecotourism, therefore, may be seen as a facilitation of education for learning children, or an exploitive and unfortunate invention that is harming the most amazing species this world has to offer.

Check out the story here:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1267987--marineland-stormed-by-protesters

Cheers!
Marlee