Posts Tagged ‘consumption’

• The lightbulb conspiracy

  An interesting wee film to watch online (a Norwegian TV documentary) “The lightbulb conspiracy” details a process that few people outside of manufacturing industry’s are even aware exists. So-called “planned obsolescence” or to put it in less PC terms, manufacturers …

• Are consumers responsible for the BP oil disaster?

  Following the BP/Deepwater oil well explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, many commentators have tried to explain why it happened. Many blame greed and arrogance in BP’s executive offices. Others blame it on the Military-Oil-Government alliance that views free-flowing oil …

• The Dangers of E-Waste

  What is E-waste? E-waste stands for electronic waste. This includes anything from discarded and broken cell phones, computers, iPods, and small appliances. Developed nations are dealing with a crisis of overconsumption, which produces many harmful consequences. One of these consequences is e-waste, which …

• Individual responsibility versus collective action: An examination of the impact of environmental advertising

  Photo credit: Jesse Kruger Does the individualization of environmentalism have any merits? Can it successfully co-exist with collective action? Environmental advertising (or “green” advertising) assures consumers that they can evoke positive environmental change by adopting simple habits and by purchasing …

• Inequality between rich and poor nations helps fuel a climate of mistrust and sabotages efforts to secure a climate deal

  The 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen, which many have said was our last chance to take action against “the greatest threat the world has ever faced”, ended in a failure. For over 15 years delegates and …

• Tamara Stark: Don’t blame China!

  Photo credit: MK Media Productions Tamara Stark, Communications Director at Greenpeace in the UK, writes this spot on blog post about the environmental “China bashing” in the international media. “Having spent the last three years living in China, I and …

• Earth Overshoot Day Happens Earlier Every Year

  As of September 23 we humans have used all the resources our earth can produce this year. That means we are borrowing resources from 2009 and that we are literally consuming our children’s resources. And as each year passes Earth …

• Green Forum: Interesting topics for week 34

  I hope you haven’t missed our environment forum where you can interact with other like-minded people and discuss everything imaginable. We also plant trees for every hundred members that sign up for a free forum account. So really, there is …

• Are you sure you know all the reasons why shopping destroys the environment?

  Shopping can be a really refreshing habit that has been proved to make the purchasers feel happier. It also satisfies basic human needs. Thus, it would be a pie in the sky to say that shopping should be stopped. But …

• Running the numbers – An American self-portrait

  Chris Jordan wants to show the “contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics.” Each of his artwork portrays a specific amount of something. For example the above image shows 426000 cell phones, equal to the number of cell …