Sustainability and Social Justice

Previous blogs have focused on what individual companies and corporations have done to promote their own products and goods, but I realized I was somewhat unsatisfied with all we were finding. I wanted to know more about what I, personally, could do. The media around me has been persuasive enough to make me think that issues of sustainability and social justice are not only important, but that action is vital. In this case, the media is setting the agenda. They are telling me what issues are important for me to think about and they have me worried. Maybe in a sense this is an application of the “scary world theory”- the media is teaching me the world is in a desperate condition, and it’s time for me to act!

According to an article by Rod Giblett and Libby Lester titled, “Environmental Sustainability” from the Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, issues of the environment and the media have had a long history. According to anthropologist, the contributions that the media can make to these issues are as follows:

• overcoming the science–humanities divide that sees ‘nature’ assigned to the former and ‘culture’ to the latter;
• addressing ‘nature’ as a problematic term; developing ecological and environmental histories;
• valuing local place in the face of globalization;
  
• being embodied in, and connected to, space and a place;
• learning to listen to the land and its stories retold by indigenous peoples.

My favorite quote from the article however came from Tania Lewis. She concludes that “the challenge for a progressive green politics is to tie formal and structural political changes in the sphere of consumer capitalism to the more ordinary everyday politics of lifestyle” and “begin to reframe personal ethical consumption practices in terms of collective modes of responsibility and social change.” I think the media has been doing this highly effectively. But what, about my ‘personal practices’?

One basically adorable site called “Everywun” claims to “[put] the power of world change in your hands. [They] make it fun and easy for you to make an impact on behalf of the causes that you care about [such as planting trees, improving literacy, and feeding hungry children].” This site isn’t your traditional advocacy site either. Instead of asking for your money, Everywun has you to take action on the behalf of issues and as a result you earn credits which you can redeem to better benefit your causes. Let’s just say, I almost didn’t get this blog turned in on time because of this website.

Strange you tube videos are my bread and butter. So, of course I turned to youtube when looking for information about sustainability and social justice

this video is a real winner – it is about eco-friendly fashion designers, and an event/fashion show highlighting them.  At first, I thought that this didn’t really have much to do with social justice but then I listened to the interviews with the designers.  They had a real global consciousness and a sense of global responsibility, and also had the idea that “sustainable” meant being able to sustain a community. I then went to their website, which continued to highlight the global consciousness of the artists  And that’s what this is all about, right?  Even when the connections between the two topics seem subtle, they’re there.

this is an example of the kind of clothing represented at the EcoNouveau fashion event

After that, I was inspired to continue “youtubing” and found this video.  The video was done by  a group of youth who declare themselves to be dedicated to being a voice for the voiceless.  What was interesting about their video was that they asserted that there could be no global sustainability without social justice and promoted things like community gardens.

One video was a little less straightforward with its message about sustainability and social justice.  It’s goal was to make sustainability “cool”, while the other video had a clear and straightforward message.  Video content has proven to be very diverse in how messages are sent

Even the corporate world seems to be understanding that it’s cool to be green.  Businesses are becoming more sustainable as a result of either good publicity or because they have to.  But the fact that companies like Nike and Starbucks are doing it makes it the “cool” thing to do

To put it concisely and not-so-eloquently, yes.  Everywhere we look, the government’s interaction between everyone:

• IGOs (intergovernmental organizations)
• NGOs (non-governmental)
• citizens
• events

and everything in between can be described by our favorite word to use in this course: omnipotent.

One major event that most everyone remembers quite well is Hurricane Katrina.  The devastating effects led to a response from FEMA.  Politics aside, FEMA set-up refugee trailers to house some of the victims who lost their homes.  This site is actually through a school called the New School for Social Research, which   One can see in this picture what the groups of trailers looks like.  Apparently, FEMA and possibly other agencies did not properly inspect these trailers, which were supposed to be energy-efficient, therefore reducing the total amount of pollution.

FEMA was quick to put out numerous articles, press conferences (however artificial they may be…), and press releases defending its position in the dealing with Hurricane Katrina.  News organizations had to keep up with this barrage of news articles from the government as a whole, therefore viewers were bombarded with constant Katrina news no matter what medium they used.

The victims brought a lawsuit against FEMA.  This has a website that is devoted to relaying facts about reports of victims suffering from formeldahyde poisoning and details about the inadequate inspections they performed prior to people inhabiting the trailers.  Although a website like this is founded on the basis of advertising, it also proves informational, as I was able to find useful facts and information, even though I have no interest in their services.  The revolution of being able to find information so readily available to anyone on the internet is very important because groups like this need to compete with the government’s media prowess.  People should just be lucky that everyone in theory has equal access to such methods of free speech.

My last two posts have focused on the coal industry and how it’s connected to social justice. Quite frankly I was surprised to see how interconnected the two were, I suppose I didn’t expect them to fit so closely.  What’s more I was surprised to see how connected they were to communications and mass media. For the most part, the sources I found were from organizations and bureaus I had never heard of, so for this post I wanted to shift to a name we’re much more familiar with and see their take on social justice and the environment: General Electric.

When looking at GE’s website the first thing I noticed was how incredible it looked—this company knows how to sell itself. The layout of the website was clean and professional and the pictures spoke volumes about their PR program. Now you might be thinking . . . what does this have to do with social justice and the environment? Everything. The majority of the pictures are GE employees working or conversing, all with amiable facial expressions. This attempts to show that they are happy and content, exuding an overall positive vibe for the employees’ wellbeing.

Aside from this there are many other things the website does to promote the idea of social justice. The easy to navigate pages take you from topic to topic all with the hope to persuade you of its “revolutionary” developments in energy and efficiency. I appreciate the fact that their press releases and statements during a crisis are easily accessible. To me, this is extremely important in social justice for they want their investors and clients to be well-informed and they treated with honesty. Two things it seems to focus on are Leadership and Investor Relations. The development of the employees at GE is very important and they want them to be more than just employees, they seek remarkable leadership and they provide whatever they must for it to be achieved.

This website stands out boldly because they are handing environment and social justice through phenomenal mass media campaigns. Their use of videos, photos, animation, and text are all superb and truly help gain attention from those who might otherwise disregard their purpose and plan—including me. GE uses framing, advertising, interactivity, and globalization, a complicated but very well executed combination. Mass media is a significant contributor to the success of this company and its efforts for social justice.

After looking at my last blog entry on coal and mountaintop removal, I’ve decided this is an issue of social justice that could easily warrant more of my attention. The article written by Gunther was the topic of the blog, and it showed an environmentally focused opinion piece by a single person. For this entry, I’d like to shift your focus a bit, and look at what the government is saying about the coal industry—by looking at the annual coal report produced by Energy Information Administration, who provides energy statistics for our nation, as well as their website. The EIA also provides a quarterly, monthly, and weekly coal report which is helpful when conducting research on the issue.

Of course our focus is the environment and social justice, and coal potentially has a lot to do with this subject. The working conditions of coal miners have been debated for years and there hasn’t been an easy answer to its growing controversy.

When I looked at this report I was surprised to find only numbers and statistics about the coal production and issues accompanied by it. The closest thing I found to talking about the employees and their conditions was a chart that showed the number of underground employees was less than it had been the year before (2007). Besides this there was no reference to the miners’ working condition and no statement defending their work. There were a few pictures on their home site that looked bright and cheery, but otherwise the service is purely factual.

Not satisfied, though, I continued to look and came across the website for MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration) a facet of the Department of Labor. Here I immediately found the resources I was looking for at the other site, including numerous ways to report unhealthy mining conditions or hazardous situations. There are extensive education programs on this website that acknowledge the work still to be done in improving the mining industry. For example there are numerous safety videos (using a cool form of media to obtain attention) that are related and unrelated to mining itself. And although it’s not from the mining industry itself, it provides more than adequate information—perfectly connecting the environment and social justice.

Both of these sites are government provided, and I saw various elements of mass media in my work. Regulation and agenda setting were two things that seemed prevalent as they seek to protect the miners and put forth a certain appearance. Something else that interested me was a mixture of three “media purposes and functions”: information, entertainment, and community building. I love this because it shows a great use of how the government uses the media, and in effect how the media uses the government too.

So, after my last blog with Yao Ming being the face of advertising for a certain environmental group during the Olympics, I became interested in how some other companies advertised when focusing on sustainability issues.  The first company that popped into my head was Chevron, an energy supplier of the world.

Chevron Logo

• Appeals to the common person (LCD)
• sympathetic
• Appeals to the world
• Appeals to future generations

I found their ads interesting mainly because they try to portray themselves as helping the world and every person in it by providing energy in better ways.  I found a little article that talks about their ads compared to GE’s advertisements.  One thing i found interesting in this article was the fact that “It’s a neat advertising trick that the Chevron logo is not in any way associated with the problems of oil consumption, but is part of the solutions”. 

In Regards to social justice, Chevron’s ads seem to imply that their ways of supplying more efficient energy will make the world a better place for every person even though this is clearly not true.  It seems as though the images in their ads suggests that they are touching on the issue of social justice implying that if all types of people in all social classes will be effected by their company in a good way.  The hard thing for people is to determine if their ads are presenting truth or imagination?? what do you think?

I saw an interesting mash up of the issues of sustainability and social justice.  I was “you-tubing” and by accident stumbled across a video advertisement done by the Sierra Club.  The ad includes numerous different celebrities celebrating and congratulating the election of President Barack Obama.  As I listened to the ad, it included, of course, message about the importance of sustainability, but what surprised me is that most of the things that were identified as important were also issues of social justice like

• job sustainability
• stable communities
• dependence on foreign products
• accessible and convenient transportation
• providing a good environment for generations to come

This is the first video I have used in this blog, but I thought that it was an interesting comparison to the print and web sources that I have found related to the subject.  There was not much focus on trying to convince the audience that there is a connection between sustainability and social justice, there really wasnt a great deal of information there at all.  There was appeal to audience by creating the thought that big public figures had interest in the environment, and that the Sierra club openly supported a new and popular president.  The message was hopeful that the new political administration could help accomplish all of the things that needed to be done in terms of sustainability and social justice

As stated in my last blog, I want to continue to explore Good Magazine.

The most recent issue, focused mainly on transportation. It discussed various issues such as:

• transportation of the future
• to a guide to alternative-fuel cars
• the 7 best bike cities

However, one of the most interesting things in this edition was this advertisement for Ebay’s World of Good. The advertisement is definitely eye-catching with a starch white background and a variety of colorful items displayed in rows. At the center of the ad it states, “Everywhere you look, it seems “good” is the new black, but at worldofgood.com, good is more than just a trend.” Almost immediately, I went and checked out the website. The site is a beautiful representation of the cross-section between social justice and sustainability. On the site you can search for products by whether they are “people positive”, “eco positive”, “animal positive” or if it “supports a cause”. The idea of this website is simple. It supports the idea that through American consumerism, we can help “save the world.” In fact, their tag line is “where your shopping shapes the world.” Although I am hesitant to necessarily agree with this idea, I think it is an extremely effective way of promoting the issues while being economically sustainable. On the site you can buy a variety of items such as:

• organic tees
• eco-friendly cleaners
• reusable waterbottles
  
• solar electronics
• a variety of items such as clothing and jewelry from personal sellers

Additionally, the site provides links to articles which also feature issues of sustainability and social justice. One of my favorite articles I found was called “Clothes Shopping: Easy Greening”. In the article it features different ideas for buying eco-friendly clothing such as clothes that don’t require dry cleaning, with less textile finishing, and locally made. Additionally, World of Good provides icons along the side of the articles to different featured items from their site which pertain to the article. All I can say is, shop on!

Well… It’s politics in general, but you know what I mean.

If you really think about sustainability and social justice, it is hard to imagine either of the two as being independent on politics a large scale. Both sustainability and social justice are highly political in nature and when the two are combined, there are even bigger political implications. The solving of these problems has a great deal to do  with the set up of the countries government, the economy, etc.

What I have noticed is that the issues of sustainability and social justice as they relate to a country’s political system seem to pop up the most often in the discussion of food security. This is probably because food is one of the few things that people rely the most heavily on the environment for.  Therefore, the question of food security touches the issues of poverty and conservation. 

One source that I found is on the website of a corporation created by the parliament of Canada to help developing countries figure out how to better find solutions to environmental, social, and economic problems through science and technology.  The article offered examples of how Canada was beginning to promote domestic food security and establish a sustainable food system. another was a website of a woman who had worked in the field of urban planning and is an academic and professor who had worked in the fields of environment and agriculture. Her work strives to prove that sustainability and social justice are not in conflict with one another.

What I noticed about media that highlights the political implications of sustainability and social justice, no matter what angle they take, are similar in nature.  They tend to be fairly long and very informative but it is almost impossible to ignore the persuasive elements involved in this kind of writing.  But, it makes sense because after all, isn’t politics all about persuasion?

Kyle’s last blog got me thinking about what private corporations are doing in the issues of sustainability and social justice. Specifically, I was interested in seeing what companies who have a large youth and young adult population, were doing to address the issues. The first company which came to mind for me was Starbucks. From personal experience, I knew that Starbucks sold free-trade coffee and supported Good, a magazine “for people who give a damn…about things that matter.” After some research, I was blown away with how involved Starbucks is with issues of sustainability and social justice.

For starters, there is the Starbucks venture “Shared Planet.” This website and justice group demonstrates some of the ways that Starbucks is socially concerned. Not only is 100% of Starbucks’ coffee “responsibly grown and ethically traded” but their cups are 100% either reusable or recyclable and as a company “contribute more than 1 million hours of community service hours each year.” Also, the company is doing things to help with relief in New Orleans and Aids in Africa. The level of community involvement and environmental concern is truly amazing. Additionally, the website is so hip and aesthetically pleasing and does a great job of appealing to my generation. I think it was genius from an economics standpoint for Starbucks to get involved in these issues and definitely makes me feel like it is a company worth throwing my money at.

Additionally, at Starbucks, they advertise for the magazine “Good”. Good magazine focuses specifically on issues of social awareness, politics, and sustainable living. One unique perk of the magazine is that the subscriber pays for it what they see as fair and the subscription fees go entirely to charity. Additionally, the Good Website provides additional information on these issues as well as videos and blogs. The website is fun and interactive and will also appeal to my target age group with advertisements for things such as the Cochella Music Festival in California. In future posts I will continue to explore not only articles from the magazine but also videos and posts from the website.

In reality, it’s hard to even fully grasp how multi-platformed Starbucks is becoming. Through Starbucks Entertainment Division and Hear Music brand, their personal record label, the company is a presence in the book, film, and music industry. This represents the mass communication trend of Conglomeration. Additionally, Starbucks has spread from Seattle, Washington to all over the world, representing the trend of Globalization.

Now, there are two sides to the issue of course. Many people claim that Starbucks adds to global capitalism and is slowly suffocating “Mom and Pop” coffee shops. But I have to conclude that Starbucks is doing more good than harm.