POLITICS
Scenario submission for POLITICS Competition
“Collaborative Learning and Sharing about Politics”
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Environmentalism- political
necessity or choice of an
individual?
Bozena Nowak
Poland
NGO worker
31st March 2011, Thessaloniki, Greece
POLITICS
Topic
Social movements
Scenario Description
Title
Environmentalism- political necessity or choice of an individual?
Short description
The life on Earth appeared over 4 billion years ago. The human civilzation only 200,000
years ago. In recent 50 years, during lifetime of one single generation on Earth has
been caused more damage,than by all previous generations of humanity before.The
Earth’s destruction doesn’t need scholar proofs, it’s visible by eyes.The condition of
‘Blue planet’ is deteriorating dramatically. If this trend should be stopped, the change
needs to be made now.
This scenario will present how environmental movement is trying for this change to be
brought into life. It will comment on the discussion if it should happen on the way of
law enforcement or should remain each one’s individual choice.
POLITICS
Scenario Description
List of activities
Activity 1: Find a WikiPage that concerns the matter of environmentalism and comment on
found there information
Activity 2: Find a related to the subject article on Internet and comment on presented
there opinion(s)
Activity 3: Find a blog that deals with issues related to the topic and comment on it
Activity 4: Find a video related to the topic of environmentalism, in a video sharing portal
and comment on it
Activity 5: Find a Facebook group that discusses environmental issues and comment on
presented opinions
Activity 6:Find on an image sharing website a picture concerning the topic of
environmentalism ( with a non commercail licence), and write few words on it
Activity 7: Create a WordCloud of words you have used to comment included avtivities
Activity 8:Design a poster expressing your opinion on environmentalism and describe it
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Activity 1
Learning tasks: Find a WikiPage that concerns the matter of
environmentalism and comment on found there information
Tools/resources: Wikipedia resources
Duration: 20 minutes
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WikiPage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmentalism
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Comments on Information
Environmentalism is a wide philosophy, expressed in social, political and
ethical movements, which’s main aim and idea is to preserve and improve the
state of natural environment on Earth. It’s a concern for the planet as a
whole.
Environmentalists seek to influence political process by lobbing, activism,
and education in order to protect natural resources and ecosystems. They
argue the resources need to be sustainably managed, through changes in
both; public policy and individual behaviour. As a movement covers broad
areas of institutional opression, such like; devasting ecosystems, depleting
natural resources, dumping waste into disadvantaged communities, air &
water pollution, weak infrastructure, exposure of organic life to toxins,
monoculture.
Criticism on environmentalism is focused on the argument, that its claims
are inaccurate or exaggerated, and environmentalists themselves are often
linked to organisations with commercial interests in continuing to exploit
Earth’s resources. Critics claim, environmentalism became nowadays more a
fashion, than a true belief.
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Activity 2
Learning tasks: Find a related to the subject article on Internet
and comment on presented there opinion(s)
Tools/resources: Online newspapers, magazines, forums
Duration: 30 minutes
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Screenshot of Article
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,973199-1,00.html
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Comments on Article
Presented here article is an essay written by Charles Krauthammer for
TIME magazine, in June 1991. Reading ‘ Saving Nature, But Only for Man’ is
a great opportunity to see what was the perception of environmental issues
20 years ago, that brings us also to a sad statement, that not much has been
changed.
Krauthammer notes with bitter irony, that ‘environmental sensitivity’
became a required attitude in polite society, in which almost everyone has
proffesed love for ‘Mother Earth’, but hardly few have really changed
something.
He claims that there needs to be applied one rule: combatting ecological
change that directly threatens the health and safety of people is an
environmental necessity. All else is a luxury. His environmentalism is
therefore entirely anthropocentric. He argues that only this one kind may
win universal public support, and the change may be made when humanity,
each individual on his own, will realize that it’s a need to preserve nature, on
the grounds of self- preservation.
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Activity 3
Learning tasks: Find a blog that deals with issues related to the
topic and comment on it
Tools/resources:A blog on Internet
Duration: 30 minutes
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Screenshot of blog
http://tobethechange.blogspot.com/
<Include a small screenshot of the resource here>
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Useful Information
Blog ‘ Be The Change’ discusses environmental issues, sustainability,
poverty, world hunger and conditions for peace in broad sense.
Author as a motto quotes Mahatma Gandhi’s so simple, and so true
‘ You must be the change you wish to see in the world’. ‘
We can find here information on a huge amount of different topics,
like; climate change, fair trade, alternative energy sources, ecodesign, education, recycling, health or humanitarian aid.
Author recommends books, informs about events, advertises
products, shares ideas. All supporting green life style, protecting of
the nature, human rights, social inclusion, peaceful co- existence of
people and social solidarity, aligning economic level across the
countries of so called Third World and widely meant environmental
awareness.
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Activity 4
Learning tasks: Find a video related to the topic
environmentalism, in a video sharing portal and comment on it
Tools/resources:YouTube or other video sharing web space
Duration: 25 minutes
of
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Screenshot of video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDlcANyFHhA&feature=relmfu
<Insert the picture here>
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Related Video
‘Home- the environment’ is part of a documentary movie directed by famous
French photographer and activist Yann Arthus- Bertrand, that had its world
premiere in June 2009.
The movie has been shot in 54 countries and over 120 locations. Presents
truly breathtaking collection of unique aerial footage, which try to show the
current state of Earth in natural and urban areas, with aim to incite people
to act.
Its message is clear- human impact on the Planet is destructive- during past
barely 200,000 years humans have upset the balance of Earth, established
by nearly 4 billion years. We over- consume and deplete Earth’s resources.
The author claims, if we intend to make any change, we need to do it now.
The patterns of consumption must be reversed in time not longer than 10
years, before the damage will be probably irreversible. The change must be
global,and achieved by intensed education.
This stunning movie, produced to inspire action and to encourage to a
thoughtful debate, after 2 years since its publication , remains as many
previous efforts a futile try to change the world, that doesn’t WANT and
cannot be changed anymore.
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Activity 5
Learning tasks: Find a Facebook group that discusses environmental
issues and comment on presented opinions
Tools/resources:Facebook Social Network ( www.facebook.com)
Duration: 20 minutes
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Facebook Group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117596644932139&v=wa
ll#!/group.php?gid=117596644932139&v=wall
<Insert the screenshot of the Wiki page here>
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Comments of Opinions
Facebook Group ‘Capture, Assign, Aware and Resolve Environmental
problem ( CAARE) ‘ was created in April 2010 in Kathmandu, Nepal,
with aim of making aware about the environmental problems and
sharing ideas how to solve them.
Group creators are claiming that the most devastating effect on
natural environment have nowadays excessive natural resources
depletion and unsustainable use of energy and unplanned
industrialization, which should be restraint on international, global
level.
Group members, apart of expressing their opinions are free also to
inform about and advertise different events, projects and research
programs concerning the issue of protecting the nature.
Since its establishment the ‘CAARE’ group has been joined by 549
members, mostly from Asian countries.
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Activity 6
Learning tasks: Find on an image sharing website a picture
concerning the topic of environmentalism ( with a non commercial
licence), and write few words on it
Tools/resources:Flickr or other image sharing website
Duration: 20 minutes
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Picture
http://www.flickr.com/photos/azrainman/2047910540/lightbox/
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Comments on Picture
Some experts claim that humanity has less than 10 years to change the
patterns of consumption and to reverse the trend before the damage will be
too vast to be reversed.
This picture shows in a literal way that the Earth is egg- skinny sensitive
formation that may be easily destroyed with no possible way back.
Industrialization, depletion of natural resources, nature littering, air &
water pollution, bringing animals to extinction, over- population, overconsuming, all those are things that still may be stopped.
The change should be made on international level; by governments,
organizations, companies, and to be implemented as a law.
Lack of political enforcement doesn’t relieve however individuals from the
responsibility . A change needs to be realized and accepted as a necessity,
and introduced into each’s everyday life.
The way of life needs to be changed, if we want us and future generations
to be able to consume anything at all.
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Activity 7
Learning tasks: Create a WordCloud of words you have used to
comment included avtivities
Tools/resources: Wordle ( http://www.wordle.net/)
Duration: 20 minutes
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WordCloud
<Insert the screenshot of the Word cloud here>
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Comments on WordCloud
Presented here ‘WordCloud’ has been created from 100 words used to
comment each of learning activities. It comprises nouns, verbs and
adjectives, which visualise (by their proportional to the number of times
they have appeared in the text size) the relevance of particular words for
the explanation of ENVIRONMENTALISM.
Words that have been used most times are: Change, Natural, Environmental,
Earth, Resource, Life, World, Human, People, Damage and Education.
Those terms illustrate Environmentalism as an idea in which the most
important is ‘Life’, both of humans and of the nature, that create
surrounding as reality. This Life needs to be Changed. In this approach
Environmentalism claims, that if people want to reverse the damage that
they have caused to the Earth, and keep on living in this small piece of
World, they need to change first of all themselves.
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Activity 8
Learning tasks: Design a poster expressing your opinion on
environmentalism and describe it
Tools/resources: Glogster ( http://www.glogster.com/)
Duration: 60 minutes
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Poster
http://biankarose.glogster.com/environmentalismbnowak/
<Insert the screenshot of the Poster here>
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Comments on Poster
Poster ‘ Environmentalism- political necessity or choice of an individual?’
presents definition of Environmentalism given by Britannica Encyclopedia,
which says that it is a movement seeking to protect the Life on Earth, by bothindividual and institutionalised forms of the action. This statement is
supported by quotation of M. Gandhi’s words and argued by shot of statistical
data.
The need of taking care about nature illustrate pictures and ‘steps’ with tips
what to do to improve the quality of surrounding us space.
Poster provides furthermore a link to the website with listed 100 ideas ‘how to
save the environment.’
Music background in the poster forms composition ‘Save this town,’ written by
Blue Foundation, which’s lyrics perfectly reflect the idea of undertaking a
common effort;
‘I know that we can’t save this town alone,
So this is why I say:
Come on and raise your voice
And spread those words around: COME ONE SAVE IT.’
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Wrap up – Expression of
Personal View/ Opinion
I strongly believe that circumstances we live nowadays in, environmental
protection is a necessity that should be implemented by law, and that it
should happen on international level.
However law is just a matter written down in a paper, that has no force
without people respecting it in everyday life. Thus, change should be first
made in each one’s mind, in order to be enforced on interpersonal level. This
may be achieved by intensed education, together with assistance of law
regulations.
Reducing air & water pollution, slowing climate change, decreasing
consumption, protecting biodiversity, introducing alternative energy
sources, recycling waste, etc., etc. are necessities that do not require
discussion, either we believe in environmentalists arguments, or not.