Environmentalism and Advocacy
Barcamp on Environmentalism and Advocacy Leonardo Bonanni & Grant Kristofek
Description:
The public dialogue around these issues is stunted; at the same time there is a critical need to advocate around environmental sustainability. How can we unravel, understand and represent the environmental issues affecting local communities given our current channels of communication? What tools are missing for advocacy around environmental issues? There are a number of approaches to dealing with environmental problems in the social context - which are effective? Journalism, policy, education, and science all play a role: how do we avoid the inconsistencies and inaccuracies that plague our current discourse?
It would be great to bring together a number of individuals working on various themes of advocacy and the environment to discuss their approaches, collect references and brainstorm new techniques that could enrich this domain. Let us know if you'd like to attend, what you think you could bring, and what you'd like us to contribute from MIT.
Backgrounds
Leo:
http://www.sourcemap.org - supply chain visualization and carbon footprinting tool
http://www.futurecraft.org - class on culturally sustainable design
Grant:
http://www.dcontinuum.com/Colorblind/ - consumer research into how people think, act and feel about 'green' products
http://www.sustainableminds.com - life cycle assessment tool
http://www.scienceblogs.com/energygrid - blog discussion on future energy systems
Open discussion / Questions:
What is missing from the dialogue on environmentalism?
What resources, channels of communication exist?
Who has access to the information?
What educational resources exist?
What is missing?
How do we educate (ourselves/others) effectively?
How do we write about sustainability? What are the metrics?
Issues:
Greenwashing
Jevon's Paradox
Transparency
Environmentalism and the press
Muckraking
Advertising
Radical Sustainability
Cradle to Cradle
Life Cycle Design
Environmental Sustainability vs Social , Cultural, Economic Sustainability
Resources:
http://wattzon.org - personal power calculator
http://treehugger.com - leading environmental blog
http://www.zeri.org/ - zero-emission research and initiatives
http://www.idsa.org/whatsnew/sections/ecosection/okala.html - industrial design guide to sustainable design
http://www.thegortcloud.com/ - visualization of green communities and networks
http://www.designersaccord.org/ - a global coalition to create positive environmental and social impact
http://globalreporting.org/ - a framework for coorporations to assess and share their environmental and social practices