In my view the present day world is full of burden, responsibilities and people frowning down at you, waiting for you to act and then making you feel guilty for it. It is like this all year. Then Christmas comes and we forget how harsh the world can be (mostly forget, we aren't allowed to completely escape from it).
I think that Christmas can be sustainable and it is moving towards sustainability. Christmas lights are becoming more energy efficient (LEDs), companies are obliged to manufacture goods more sustainably - less packaging, less waste, lower energy usage.
If Christmas was scrutinised and we were all made to feel bad about indulging and were made to be frugal then I think that Christmas would be completely different. The social aspect of it wouldn't work. People would feel unhappy and I think the general health of the population would decrease because Christmas is a time to relax and unwind from the stresses of every day life. It people were denied this then the incidence of people with diseases such as stress would increase; putting a further burden on society.
It would not work economically either. Many businesses gain their highest amount of profit around the Christmas period, including retail and the travel industry. Maybe business would adapt in the long run, but on a short term basis many businesses would close, leaving people out of work etc. This would create many problems for the economy.
The only pillar of sustainability that may benefit from Christmas becoming more sustainable is the environment. With less demand for resources for consumption (packaging, electricity, food etc) then the environment would flourish. However I'm not sure that this outweighs the negative impacts on society and the economy.
Merry Christmas
Thursday 17 December 2009
Wednesday 25 November 2009
I have just looked at The Sun's website for the first time and found it very difficult to find any news on there. As far as I can see it is all celebrity gossip which is of no use to anyone! I find it quite worrying that this newspaper (if you can call it a NEWSpaper) has the highest circulation in the UK. That means that this newspaper has the highest potential influence in the UK - they could print anything and I would bet that many people would beleive it, unquestioning.
The Independent's website, however, is not inundated with gossip, it is clearly layed out and easy to see the news. The top story on the Independent's website at the moment is about banking charges that affect everyone. The Sun's top stories circulate from a Jet Man's crash, X factor gossip and I'm a celebrity gossip.
I think that the newspapers have a responsibility to print the truth, because many people will beleive anything they read - therefore giving some political parties an advantage if they have an affiliation with a particular newspaper. I also think that they should try to be less biased - this is why I like the Independent, they print the truth as they have nothing to gain from supporting a political party. However I'd like to think that people would go out and find other evidence to form a fair opinion on important issues.
The fact that I couldn't see any evidence of any serious issues being reported on the Sun's website is slightly unfair - I think people have a right to know what is going on in their lives - having said this though I would also like to expect that people wouldn't buy a newspaper such as the Sun to become informed on such matters.
Reality shows and soaps have a certain type of follower and the stereotype of this individual is one who does not take much interest in many intellectual matters. The sort of television that they view could be blamed for this outcome but I do not think this is the case. I beleive that most people have the ability so separate what they watch on these programs and real life and therefore the above programs should have little influence.
The Independent's website, however, is not inundated with gossip, it is clearly layed out and easy to see the news. The top story on the Independent's website at the moment is about banking charges that affect everyone. The Sun's top stories circulate from a Jet Man's crash, X factor gossip and I'm a celebrity gossip.
I think that the newspapers have a responsibility to print the truth, because many people will beleive anything they read - therefore giving some political parties an advantage if they have an affiliation with a particular newspaper. I also think that they should try to be less biased - this is why I like the Independent, they print the truth as they have nothing to gain from supporting a political party. However I'd like to think that people would go out and find other evidence to form a fair opinion on important issues.
The fact that I couldn't see any evidence of any serious issues being reported on the Sun's website is slightly unfair - I think people have a right to know what is going on in their lives - having said this though I would also like to expect that people wouldn't buy a newspaper such as the Sun to become informed on such matters.
Reality shows and soaps have a certain type of follower and the stereotype of this individual is one who does not take much interest in many intellectual matters. The sort of television that they view could be blamed for this outcome but I do not think this is the case. I beleive that most people have the ability so separate what they watch on these programs and real life and therefore the above programs should have little influence.
Friday 13 November 2009
Informed Citizens?
An informed citizen is supposed to be able to make informed decisions. This is important in a democratic society. The media and the Government can only provide the information for us to then utilise. I think that it is our duty to take an interest in how our country is run because it affects our everyday lives. I’ve always thought that it was quite hypocritical of people that complained about politics etc, who didn’t even care to learn about our political system or to vote! People can be very susceptible to the media and that has the potential for great change. For example in recent times the BNP has gained a lot of popularity, I believe this to be because only some of their beliefs and policies are portrayed to general public. If the same people took it upon themselves to read their manifesto on their website I think that quite a few of them would be shocked and would change their minds!! It is because of precisely this that it is an individual’s own responsibility to be informed and to gain a non-biased knowledge. Only then can decisions at a higher level be made and truly reflect the views of the population.
There is a lot that I don’t know that I probably should but I know how to find information that I need so that I can hear all sides of an argument before forming an opinion. I think I am a sufficiently informed citizen and that there are many people who are not as informed as me and who will believe everything they hear in the media. This is why the obvious media, such as newspapers, is not the only way that people should be informed, there are many other ways to research important issues such as books, the internet, documentaries and even word of mouth. This is how I become informed on serious issues. It is important to be able to tell if something is biased and what is true and what is not.
Complicated decisions are made easier when they are shared. The complicated decisions that affect our everyday lives should not just be left to someone else to deal with because they are too difficult. I think that with these decisions it would be best to involve many people (informed people) together to decide, together, what it is best to do. This way the result reflects the views of the people more than it would if left up to only a few people.
There is a lot that I don’t know that I probably should but I know how to find information that I need so that I can hear all sides of an argument before forming an opinion. I think I am a sufficiently informed citizen and that there are many people who are not as informed as me and who will believe everything they hear in the media. This is why the obvious media, such as newspapers, is not the only way that people should be informed, there are many other ways to research important issues such as books, the internet, documentaries and even word of mouth. This is how I become informed on serious issues. It is important to be able to tell if something is biased and what is true and what is not.
Complicated decisions are made easier when they are shared. The complicated decisions that affect our everyday lives should not just be left to someone else to deal with because they are too difficult. I think that with these decisions it would be best to involve many people (informed people) together to decide, together, what it is best to do. This way the result reflects the views of the people more than it would if left up to only a few people.
Tuesday 27 October 2009
Response to Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth'
After watching the Al Gore DVD, An Inconvenient Truth, all I could think of was that we’re doomed. It seems pretty impossible to be able to cut our waste by enough to stop major environmental change happening soon!! But that it was Gore is trying to get people to realise - that we need to act. I think that the film is good in some ways because it can be used to bring this issue of sustainability back to Earth and make it hit home for all the people who don’t realise the magnitude of what we are doing.
I do think they deserved the Nobel Peace Prize because it is a pioneering documentary – yes, studies had been done before but Al Gore had the capability to make them heard to a much wider audience, this is a key thing.
I think that after watching the film that hardly anyone would be able to ignore its message. This means that it has a positive influence on people to become more sustainable and more educated about the environment around us. This is such a valuable thing because education is key to sustainability.
The film was good in the fact that it had concrete information about our environment that no-one can dispute, whereas in conversation about climate change it is difficult to back up your argument and therefore difficult to convince someone of its effects. Al Gore was also able to prove an opposing argument obsolete; the fact that many people argue that global warming is natural and has occurred in the past. Gore acknowledged that fact but, with evidence, showed that it had not happened to the extent or with the rapidity of today. He showed that these two things were the problem – he made it so that no-one could contradict him, therefore making is a very good film.
I do think they deserved the Nobel Peace Prize because it is a pioneering documentary – yes, studies had been done before but Al Gore had the capability to make them heard to a much wider audience, this is a key thing.
I think that after watching the film that hardly anyone would be able to ignore its message. This means that it has a positive influence on people to become more sustainable and more educated about the environment around us. This is such a valuable thing because education is key to sustainability.
The film was good in the fact that it had concrete information about our environment that no-one can dispute, whereas in conversation about climate change it is difficult to back up your argument and therefore difficult to convince someone of its effects. Al Gore was also able to prove an opposing argument obsolete; the fact that many people argue that global warming is natural and has occurred in the past. Gore acknowledged that fact but, with evidence, showed that it had not happened to the extent or with the rapidity of today. He showed that these two things were the problem – he made it so that no-one could contradict him, therefore making is a very good film.
Tuesday 13 October 2009
What actions could you (in theory) undertake that would improve the 'sustainability' of your lifestyle? What might be preventing you from doing these?
Since studying Geography at GCSE level I have become increasingly aware of the negative impacts that we, as human beings, have on our precious environment. Personally I hate so see the damage we are doing to our world because I perceive it to be such a beautiful place and I can't imagine other generations not being able to enjoy it as we have. As I am writing this I have an image in my head of the Alps in winter with snow that it unskiiable. I've never seen proper snow before and already my friends who do go on ski holidays with their families yearly have noticed that the amount of snowfall is decreasing. I know this isn't the most important problem the world is facing at the moment but it is one that didn't need to occur; this along with the adverts of suffering people in Africa who can't even grow crops to survive are partly the result of unsustainability. This is the sort of thing that got me interested in sustainable development.
I think that I live a relatively sustainable life compared to some others, but I'm in no way a saint. I'm very good around the house with the little things such as not wasting water, switching the TV off and not leaving it on standby. I recycle EVERYTHING that is possible, every last scrap of paper is put into the correct bin. When I book a flight I carbon offset it. I (try to) grow some of my own vegetables in my own garden. When it comes to buying vegetables I never know whether it is best to buy them from UK farmers because they have used less fuel to get to the supermarket or vegetables that have been flown in and create jobs for farmers in third world countries.
I try to walk to places instead of driving. I use the train and the bus to get into university instead of driving. I feel bad if I don’t recycle something that could easily be or if I haven’t switched something off.
To make my life more sustainable I could try to persuade my parents to switch to renewable energy, although I have a feeling this isn’t as easy as it looks. I could watch less TV, use my laptop less and drink less cups of tea to use less energy. In truth there is nothing stopping me from doing these other than I wouldn’t want to stop doing these things. I think that there are so many easy things that everybody could do and it would make a huge difference to our waste and our emissions but people are lazy or in the case of some people (I know some) they don’t even care. I have one friend who is very unsustainable, he drives gas guzzlers, has his pool heater turned up to the max all year round, doesn’t recycle and I tell him what the consequences of his actions might be and he thinks that global warming, for example, would be great because he would get to sunbathe more. He doesn’t understand that it’s not quite that simple. Education is key to sustainability. If I was told of more ways that I could be sustainable then I would do them, these are the only obstacles in my way.
I think that I live a relatively sustainable life compared to some others, but I'm in no way a saint. I'm very good around the house with the little things such as not wasting water, switching the TV off and not leaving it on standby. I recycle EVERYTHING that is possible, every last scrap of paper is put into the correct bin. When I book a flight I carbon offset it. I (try to) grow some of my own vegetables in my own garden. When it comes to buying vegetables I never know whether it is best to buy them from UK farmers because they have used less fuel to get to the supermarket or vegetables that have been flown in and create jobs for farmers in third world countries.
I try to walk to places instead of driving. I use the train and the bus to get into university instead of driving. I feel bad if I don’t recycle something that could easily be or if I haven’t switched something off.
To make my life more sustainable I could try to persuade my parents to switch to renewable energy, although I have a feeling this isn’t as easy as it looks. I could watch less TV, use my laptop less and drink less cups of tea to use less energy. In truth there is nothing stopping me from doing these other than I wouldn’t want to stop doing these things. I think that there are so many easy things that everybody could do and it would make a huge difference to our waste and our emissions but people are lazy or in the case of some people (I know some) they don’t even care. I have one friend who is very unsustainable, he drives gas guzzlers, has his pool heater turned up to the max all year round, doesn’t recycle and I tell him what the consequences of his actions might be and he thinks that global warming, for example, would be great because he would get to sunbathe more. He doesn’t understand that it’s not quite that simple. Education is key to sustainability. If I was told of more ways that I could be sustainable then I would do them, these are the only obstacles in my way.
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