GREEN GREEN GRASS OF OUR «HOME»

Greenwashing. : Lefebvre 2005

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I dare speak of myself while these blogs' mostly aim are to relate to readings, but I could not help but connect with Renee Lertzman's (6) course topics, although they are from a different field perspective then the one I come from.  Similar subjects can be approached from many angles, which makes ongoing reflections stimulating and enlightening. These various approaches can only encounter, overlap, merge, bounce and lead to a deeper and more significant comprehension.  A multi-layered and balancing way of coherence (and contradictions) I figured.  The issues regarding sustainability, communication campaigns, values, engagement, to branding and identity proposed in Renee's course readings, through the Common Cause or  are also core reflections in my own teaching and in the field of ecodesign and its practice.  Communication and engagement issues towards the environmental crisis being key preoccupations as well as being the project I wanted to focus on (in the form of an abecedary or digital alphabet book project + interview + surveys + workshop..), initially went from «ABC of an Ecocide” to honour Polly Higgin's «Eradicating Ecocide*”project, -when I joined this master program and up until decision making with Rick in the past 3 weeks- when it moved towards so many other related questions…whether they were «The missing link» to «ABC for a change» for presenting the poster... To «the fourth monkey*” (do not ear/see/talk : the missing link of action -or change?) in a creative writing group class exercise with Wendy.  Reading Shove’s critical article over what both (if I got that right?) Renee and Shove called the dominant discourse, I  learned what that ABC here stood for !  It was pretty much on a similar page -as they say in English- in terms of that wording at least.  A for Attitudes (found in humans), which encourage the B to blossom, (behaviors) and leading to the C of Choices to engage in.  Behaviors need changing, that’s clear. Individuals have attitudes, that’s the A... And Nature has no choice. That's...I'm kidding. The choices we can make, the changes, the values and the actions. The ABC here described <attitude, behaviour, and choice>

 I was glad being given access to a video, to understand furthermore Shove’s ABC readings. I share her view on the level stating that :«The problem is only a few ideas get into government policy».  My initial intention to communicate for thesis, was based on the work of Polly Higging’s ( fight to «eradicate Ecocide» (6) making Earth degradation the fifth crime against peace... giving Earth some rights, as well as reading form Lester Brown (1), Jared Diamond(2).  I figured I had nothing of a lawyer to help me dig deeper in here, so  I tried focusing on bringing this closer to my daily preoccupations and teaching activities.  Whether it was ecodesign and communication responsabilities, sustainable design practices, greenwashing or examining communication campaigns’ ability to generate awareness and instigate a sense of agency to engage in environmental and social issues, they were all, right on my own teaching focus.  I wondered if activism, was reframed as civic involvement (p.86) and found Swchartz analysis to be a little reductive when he claims as a conclusion, that civil engagement he associated negatively with conformity and security or engaging in politics because it is exciting, challenging, involves novelty or is risky.  Reframing the issues as Shove seems to propose, was not without echoing our previous Lakhoff readings on the subject matter during last residency which «Common senses» (3) so refer to as well.. The identity When the aim is to change behaviors which can be represented through practices and the options we have. I figured Rene would be very helpful for me to get the right take from the start on my thesis subject. The debate on identity was also very dear to me, since as communicators and designers we participate heavily in building brands. –Sustainable- so called branding is among subjects I cherish. The debate. I thought of 1964’s First things first manifesto the «1964 call for a change of priorities» which was reconducted in 1999 (Eye, no. 33 vol. 9, 1999), leaving dog biscuit selling to « a mindshift away from product marketing  and toward the exploration and production of a new kind of meaning.» Or as I thought, that was a quite short period of time ; degradation, loss, transformation of values had all been going on for centuries, we were not out of trouble just yet, but unfortunately we had not much time left to debate.

If the aim is to change behaviors it feels a shift can take place or be represented through practices and the options we have.  But it is so much more complex then changing our own or other's way of doing, engaging would we go on deepening through Renee's course, and other courses here as well. I figured Rene would be very helpful for me to get the right take from the start on my thesis subject. The debate on identity was also very dear to me, since as communicators and designers we participate heavily in building «brands» with or without logos (referring to Klein). –Sustainable- so called branding is among subjects I cherish. The debate. I thought of 1964’s First things first manifesto the «1964 call for a change of priorities» which was reconducted in 1999 (Eye, no. 33 vol. 9, 1999), leaving dog biscuit selling to « a mindshift away from product marketing  and toward the exploration and production of a new kind of meaning.» Or as I felt, that was a quite short period of time ; degradation, loss, transformation of values had all been going on for centuries, we were not out of trouble just yet, but unfortunately we had not much time left  to debate. 

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* Inspired by Kieran’s proposal of  Three monkeys.
** Polly Higgins, British lawyer

1. Brown, L. (2007). Le plan B : Pour un pacte écologique mondial: Editions Calmann-Lévy.
2. Diamond, J. (2005). Collapse How societies choose to fail or succeed, New York: Viking
3. Lertzman, R. (2012). EECO 509: Communicating in and for the Environment Course notes  Retrieved June 2012, from http://learner.royalroads.ca/moodle/course/view.php?id=2692&unit=0
4, Diamond, J. (2005). Collapse How societies choose to fail or succeed  
5. Higgins, P. (2010). Eradicating Ecocide. London, UK: Shepheard Walwyn
6. Lertzman, R. (2012). EECO 509: Communicating in and for the Environment Course notes  Retrieved July 2012, from http://learner.royalroads.ca/moodle/course/view.php?id=2692&unit=0
Shove, E. (2010). Beyond the ABC: climate change policy and theories of social change. Environment and Planning A, 42(6), 1273–1285.
Emma (2012) Design is Busines,s Posted by emma in blog July 16, 2012
WWF-UK, Common Cause