As per usual, I would like to start with a run down of what I have been up to since my last post. So without further ado.
Château de Chambord which sits on 5440 hectares of protected land. Wild Board and Deer, along with many other animals like the Swans pictured below also live here.
Swans!
Atomium in Brussels.
Amsterdam Bike Population is CRAZY.
The bike culture in Amsterdam is INSANE. There were literally parking garages for bikes only. The amount of times I almost got hit by a bike was pretty nuts too. They even allowed people to bring their bikes onto the buses and metros, which I had not seen in any of the other countries/cities I have visited since being here. I thought this was a really cool way for everyone to get around. It is not only environmentally friendly but (to tie it into my Human Diet Blog) also prevents lack of exercise and could cut down on obesity rates. All around, biking is cool, especially in Amsterdam.
Strasbourg.
In Strasbourg at the Christmas Markets, they had Vin Chaud (hot wine). Something they did that I thought was really cool is they charge you 2 Euros for the wine and the cup, but if you bring the cup back you have three options:
1. give them the cup to reuse/recycle and get 1 euro back (at any booth).
2. get a 1 euro refill
3. keep the cup as a souvenir
This was not exactly an innovative or new technique but really it is super smart. This gives people a casual incentive to take care of the cup. I think most people would be motivated by getting back 1 euro and returning the cup, which is just a small but helpful contribution to saving the environment. Also, it makes you want more hot wine or hot chocolate!
If I had to pick a phrase to represent what I have learned over the semester I would say, “everything and everyone is connected.” To me this is the perfect sentence to show what I have learned but it also fits into my theme perfectly. The world and the people in it are connected; metaphorically and quite literally. Between our cause and effect on the environment around us and the literal connection that is social media, we are inarguably connected in some way shape or form.
Throughout my posts I have compared and contrasted the environment, species and environmental efforts from France to the U.S.. I have observed everything from types of birds along the loire valley to flowers, trees and other animals. I have also observed the attitudes people in France have towards nature and the environment compared to people in the U.S.. People in France seem to have a different appreciation for their environment. I have seen this in so many different areas of life while being abroad. The people here have a completely different way of life. They use public transportation like crazy, everyone seems to use reusable bags when shopping, they only purchase what they’re going to eat (aka less waste to harm the environment) and they just seem to care so much more about their gardens and public parks. This way of life seems to be working for the French. They are still staying true to their core beliefs and French ways but they’re also doing little things to stay conscious of the world around them.
In my previous posts I analyzed the use of instagram, twitter and other social media outlets and how they are being used to spread messages of all issues around the globe including environmental movements. Since then, I still have not gone a day without scrolling through my feeds and seeing something to do with the outdoors, nature and the environment. Whether it be someone just simply enjoying themselves, or a photo aimed at inspiring action for a certain cause, I’ve seen it. While doing some research on the topic of social media and the environment I came across an article highlighting some companies and how they are using social media in their favor for sustainable changes.
M&Ms: “Consumers don’t care about sustainability issues, right? Wrong. They do if the message is conveyed in a way that is consistent with the brand. M&Ms sugar-coats (in a good way) parent company Mars’ initiatives around sustainable cocoa production and other CSR causes by telling the stories through the same M&M characters it uses to promote the brand.”
Nike: “[Nike is] providing free detailed in-house sustainability impact information on 22 different product materials to create their own sustainable products.”
“Danish wind power company Vestas chose to tackle this issue with a dedicated awareness-raising lobbying social media project. Act on Facts aims to educate and inform people about wind power and its social and economic potential.”
Companies like AT&T, General Electric, Ford and Intel are also using social media in this same way. Social media is becoming the one and only way to communicate things to consumers and even competitors. Companies can even monitor the reaction and talk between consumers of their own companies but also of their competitors. Social media is honestly the coolest thing ever if you think about it in terms of accomplishing various things. You can basically use it to voice anything that is concerning to you i.e. environmental issues in this case.
Photo via CNN
For example, within hours of Place de la République being filled with shoes to represent the march that was supposed to happen in Paris for the COP21 summit, photos were posted all over social media. What a creative way to symbolically march even though is was canceled. I believe that in a way social media is responsible for the abundance of creativity that is being released. Nowadays people are becoming programmed to think in terms of how something will look on social media when they post it. Half of the time people do things JUST for the photo or the video so they can publish it on their own online profiles. Even though I think there are many downfalls to being so obsessed with social media (a topic of discussion for another time) I think there are just as many, if not more, reasons that it is absolutely amazing and helpful.
In an article by Maxwell T. Boykoff, media and environmental issues are discussed. Below is a blurb about his thoughts on mass media:
“Mass media have given voice to the environment itself by articulating environmental change in particular ways, via claims makers or authorized definers. More formal spaces of science, policy, and politics operating on multiple scales often find meaning in people’s everyday lives and livelihoods through mass media…”
I think what this means is that now, thanks to mass media, “regular” people are being exposed and informed slowly but surely, about environmental issues going on around them. Not only by scientists and researches but by companies and pop culture. Everyone is being more and more exposed to these issues because of media and internet access. People are becoming informed and more aware that environmental issues are in fact happening all around them and their communities. I picture this cycle in my head: Scientists have data etc. about environmental issues – Media takes hold of it and finds its way to companies and other high up platforms – From here, companies use this as tool to mutually benefit themselves but also the issues at hand aka they turn it into a business ploy (sometimes this can turn into Greenwashing but lets pretend it doesn’t for the sake of the argument) and use it to get the attention of the consumers aka the “regular” people. – The “regular” people become informed and interested which turns into movement and action (ideally). Mass media, folks. It works.
Below is a photo of the COP21 instagram and twitter pages. I thought this was interesting. In my mind instagram is probably the more used and most popular form of social media. However, when I analyze the page (COP21) it makes since that it has more followers on twitter versus instagram. Twitter definitely has an older audience than instagram. Which makes complete since when looking at the COP21 page. Obviously, older twitter users who are interested in COP21 will be active in following. Instagram however, has a younger age therefore it affects the amount of followers on that COP21 page. As a Digital Media Management major, analyzing things like this is fun. Excuse my lame reasonings. I wish I had my own scientific research to back it up… but maybe one day.
COP21, which is happening now in Paris, France, is where all the world leaders will meet for a climate change summit. Basically, the goal of the summit to come to an agreement and “to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C.” France’s stance in the whole shebang is that they are viewing it as an opportunity not just a challenge. (diplomatie.gouv.fr) “[France wants] to create jobs and wealth and to invent new modes of production and consumption.” The EU, wants to uphold an exemplary standard and is aiming to “[reduce] greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, then 60% by 2040.” France is also reducing its carbon emissions, while its greenhouse gases are already “among the lowest of developed countries.” France is also working along side developing countries.
French President Francois Hollande released a statement that said, “never have the stakes been so high because this is about the future of the planet, the future of life.”
My view of the French is that they are all on board with the actions that need to be taken against climate change. In a way, you can kind of tell this just by observing their way of life (which is exactly what I have been doing for almost 4 months now). The French seem to know their place in the world while also having lots of pride in who they are, which is admirable. They also live in a way that makes you question your own. I know that since I have been here I have analyzed my own consumption and waste compared to theirs, I have looked at my eating and shopping habits as well as my transportation habits (like owning a personal car). I don’t know much about politics but they also seem to really like their President. And President Hollande seems to be very gung-ho about acting during the COP21.
A quote I found in the Light Green Society sums up the summit pretty well in my opinion.
“Two hundred years ago, almost everywhere, human beings were comparatively few, poor and at the mercy of the forces of nature; and two hundred years from now, we expect, almost everywhere they will be numerous, rich and in control of the forces of nature.” – Herman Kahn et al., 1976 (Critique of The Limits to Growth) (Bess 218).
Population has and still is increasing with every day that passes. Before, we didn’t know much about our impact and footprint so we were constantly effecting the earth and didn’t even realize it. Now, we do. The goal of this summit is to not only come to a worldwide agreement on climate but really to inform the public and get people acting. Each person can make small changes that would total up and equal change for our environment. Now that we as a society and world leaders know what is happening, and what we can do to start stopping the downward spiral, we must act accordingly.
Sources:
Bess, Michael. The Light-Green Society: Ecology and Technological Modernity in France, 1960-2000. City of Publication: University of Chicago Press, 2003. Book.
Boykoff, Maxwell T. “We Speak for the Trees: Media Reporting on the Environment.” Annual Reviews. N.p., 2009. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.
Brumfield, Ben, and Michael Pearson. “COP21 Climate Change Summit: ‘Never Have the Stakes Been so High'” CNN. N.p., 30 Nov. 2015. Web. 6 Dec. 2015.
“Climate.” France Diplomatie. N.p., 2 Dec. 2015. Web. 6 Dec. 2015.
Cop21. Instagram, 2015. Profile. 6 December 2015
Cop21paris.org
Sutter, John D. “The Shoes Are Marching For Us.” CNN. N.p., 29 Nov. 2015. Web. 6 Dec. 2015.
Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2015
Yeomans, Matthew. “Top Ten Sustainability and Social Media Campaigns – in Pictures.” The Guardian. N.p., 17 Feb. 2014. Web. 6 Dec. 2015.