Presentations

Today’s presentations offered a variety of topics that showed thoughtfulness and creativity.  It was very interesting to see the unique ways people approached the assignments for the class.  I found many of the projects to be very innovative in the ways student’s created a communications plan.  A student that particularly stood out was Anneka.  Anneka’s dedication and enthusiasm towards the environment was evident through both of her projects and through her class contributions.  Anneka is an inspiration and this planet could certainly use more people like her!

As this class is nearing the end, I think people’s engagement with environmental issues and environmental communication will extend far beyond the boundaries of this course. This course has allowed students to critically engage with a topic that is important and has value within our own lives.

Thank you

Environmental Communication in the 21st Century

An example 21^st century environmental communication is an app called Eco Challenge. The purpose of this app is to create challenges for people to help reduce their impact on the environment.  There are different topics that you can choose from that are related to the environment and sustainability.  When you select a topic the app firstly exposes how something is harmful to the environment. The second step allows you to calculate your individual impact on the environment and the third step gives you ecological alternatives to work towards sustainability.  The gamification aspect in the app is that you earn points for participating in the challenges and there is a public score board that your name can appear on for completing the most number of challenges. You can also earn badges for using ecological alternatives. Topics that the app offers challenges in are water conservation, personal care products, plastic reduction, meat consumption, the local food movement, GMOs, and energy reduction.  

I think this app is beneficial because it is easily accessible and free to download.  The app allows people to learn about a topic but most importantly offers people an alternative to their current attitudes and behaviors.  The app outlines many facts that are not always communicated in mainstream media and I think it is important that people are able to see their individual impact on the environment.

Researching Environmental Communication

The concept of framing environmental issues in the media is a topic that I would like to conduct research on.  Hansen (2011) argues that “one of the most interesting and productive developments in approaches to media coverage of environmental issues has been the increasing application of the concept of ‘framing’, i.e. the principles of ‘selection’ and ‘salience’ (Entman, 1993) in media content which may contribute to the structuring of public and political responses by directing attention to: what the issue/problem is; who/what is responsible; and what the solution is” (p. 15).  If I were granted the opportunity to undertake environmental communication research, I would do a cross cultural comparison of how different countries frame the same environmental issue.  This topic interests me because I believe that there should be unity in how environmental issues are framed. Within Canadian and American media this is rarely the case.  I would be very interest to see how other countries frame issues in comparison to North American media.

Environmental Advocacy

While searching for an example of environmental advocacy I found a Greenpeace “Save the Arctic” Campaign.  The campaign asks for people to sign a petition by entering their name and email address on the website.  I could not resist the adorable polar bears on the website (charismatic megafauna at its finest) and signed the petition.  After signing, I was asked to select the gender of my cub and to choose a name. Once I selected a name and gender I was redirected to a new page that informed me that my cub needs to be fed, pet and cleaned.  For signing the petition I earned three fish to feed my cub however in order to gain more fish I have to get others to sign. For every signature I receive my cub will earn 15 more fish. I then received an email from Greenpeace that was written as though a polar bear sent it to me:

 

Dear Kristine,

As our home melts, we deeply appreciate your generosity in giving little Cuddles a loving family. But time is running out for us, and unless we can stop the oil companies moving in to destroy the Arctic, the survival of all polar bears will be in danger.

Please help us: make a donation to the Save the Arctic campaign now.

Greenpeace doesn’t take money from governments, corporations, or political parties - just amazing people like you who care about the environment. That’s how you know your gift will be used wisely to protect our world and succeed in our people-powered campaigns.

When we win this, it will be because of you.

With thanks,
The Polar Bear Elder Community

Greenpeace International
Ottho Heldringstraat 5, 1066 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands

I think that this environmental advocacy campaign is effective because it goes beyond signing a petition.  By giving people the responsibility of taking care of a virtual polar bear, it allows people to develop a sentimental attachment to the save the arctic program.  The campaign identifies the impact that burning oil and drilling for oil has on the arctic. I think it is important to explicitly identify what is happening to the arctic because society is geographically distanced from it and therefore this issue may not resonate with people.

 

 

Save the Arctic campaign: http://savethearctic.org/en?referer=9360315

 

 

Greenwashing/Consumerism/Materialism:LG Green Health Commercial

Budinsky & Bryant (2013) argue that “growing concern for the environment on the part of citizens has led corporations to advance a new ideology of green capitalism, in which consumers are urged to help the environment through the purchase of ostensibly eco-friendly products” (p. 209).  The LG commercial is suggesting to viewers that helping the environment can be achieved through the purchase of new appliances.  The end of the commercial says that LG green health products are “the healthy choice that nature loves”.  In this commercial there is evidence that the environment is being treated as something that can be bought and sold as well as salvaged through consumerism.  The commercial bombards viewers with charismatic megafauna which frames the issue of purchasing eco-friendly products on an emotional level.

Music as Environmental Communication

Above is a music video called Save Something for Our Children that was created by a group of children from New York City.  This song was written in order to inspire environmental activism.  The following is one of the characteristics Lawrence Buell outlines to gauge how environmental a work is: “human accountability to the environment is part of the text’s ethical orientation” (Rosenthal, 2006, p. 666).  Rosenthal (2006) suggests that this characteristic can be linked to issues of preservation and conservation.  The song that the children have created outlines a variety of environmental concerns caused by humanity as well as communicating that preservation is essential to our future.

Disney Conservation- Nature as Tourism/Entertainment

“The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) were asked whether ‘‘the benefits of accredited zoos to society outweigh the cost to individual animal welfare’’ (Kuehn, 2002). The answer from Western zoos is that the principle ethical justification for their existence is their commitment to conservation. Continuing to keep captive animals is necessary, according to zoos, at least in part because these animals provide practical and valuable information that can help conservation efforts, which may be difficult or impossible to gather in the wild” (Milstein, 2009, p. 29). A counter argument suggests that zoos are in fact conserving nothing at all. 

The Disney Conservation video suggests that Disney theme parks, resorts and other Disney vacation help promote conservation and protecting the natural environment through various consumption practices.  The video advertises Disney by suggesting that through visiting Disney you can help the environment and unite your family.  Anthropomorphism is used throughout the entire video as strategic marketing.  Is Disney contributing to wildlife conservation or simply building its empire?

Starbucks: Make a Difference. Take The Pledge.

Greenberg, Knight & Westersund (2011) propose that “it would be misleading to suggest that conservative-minded governments and oil companies are the only ones that use PR to influence the media, public and policy agendas.  In an effort to appear more politically relevant, environmental NGOs and activist coalitions increasingly utilize public relations techniques and rely heavily on corporate communication consultancies to assist them in reaching the hearts and minds of key publics and policy-makers” (p. 73).  To illustrate this point I would like to draw upon an example from the Starbucks Shared Planet campaign.  This video demonstrates how public relations techniques were used in order to create environmental awareness around consumption issues within the Starbucks community.  The campaign suggests that using a reusable mug will benefit the environment and those customers who will use a reusable mug will be rewarded with a free coffee on the selected day. I think this campaign affectively reaches the hearts and minds of key publics because it allows customer to feel as though they are making positive changes for the environment.

Communication of Extreme Weather

CBC News: Toronto floods leave power system 'hanging by a thread'

Good (2007) suggests that “extreme weather—hurricanes, storms, flooding, forest fires—is the way in which climate change is obtrusive, or manifest in people’s lives. The avoidance of linking these weather extremes with climate change is perhaps the most powerful way that the mass media do not, according to the media propaganda model, “merely protect the corporate system. [They also rob]the public of a chance to understand the real world” (p. 246). In the CBC news report of the extreme weather event that occurred in July 2013 did not make any explicit connections to climate change.  The news report focussed on the public transportation and hydro disturbances that Torontonians would experience.  Mayer Rob Ford was quoted in the report saying “Toronto has persevered; we have weathered the storm”.  The Mayor asked citizens of Toronto to reduce electricity use over the next 24 hours to relieve strain on the hydro system. The reports focus was on maintaining the status quo and restoring order within the city.

Amsterdam, Holland

Although a gloomy day in Amsterdam, stumbling upon this bicycle parking lot brightened my day. The city's infrastructure is impressively designed to have cycling as its main mode of transportation. Good (2007) suggests "the most important environment decision the court has issued in many years, clears the way for current and future federal administrations to set mandatory limits on motor vehicle emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases" (p. 245). A city like Amsterdam, equipped with bike lanes on every road, is what every city should aspire to.

 

Electronic Waste

One of the key messages in Living Beyond Our Means: Natural Assets and Human Well-Being states, “Everyone in the world depends on nature and the ecosystem services to provide the conditions for a decent, healthy, and secure life” (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, p. 3). The assessment further suggests that people are under the impression that we no long depend on natural systems because we rely so heavily upon human built structures, machines and technology.  If people are unaware of their consumption of the natural environment it is extremely difficult to ask people to reduce and preserve natural systems. The emergence of technology has created a disconnect between humans and nature.  An important issue raised in lecture is the common perception that people are saving paper by reading literature off of a tablet or laptop.  At a first glance this seems to be a wonderful alternative to printing documents however a further look into this issue shows that the amount of electronic waste is so overwhelming that it is becoming very harmful to the environment.  Above is a video from BBC news that identifies how there is an overabundance of E-waste and the issues that arise from this.  In The Unbroken Chain article, Cone acknowledges the ways in which new sources simplify issues of environmental concern and suggests that communication often takes one of two forms: scaring or boring the reader.  These two approaches generally result in the reader learning nothing of the issue at hand.   The BBC news clip on E-waste is oversimplifying what is a colossal problem.  The issue is addressed however there is no sense of urgency for the viewer to make a change.