So where to from here?
A thought on 'Nature versus Nurture':
When I reflect on what
I’ve just written in the previous post about how I believe that awareness for
sustainability can potentially start at home and through being further available in schools – the fact is that – there really
isn’t any guarantee that a child who grew up with an awareness of
sustainability will actually take this up for the rest of their lives.
If anyone can be
bothered looking at the (open-ended and inconclusive) debate of 'nurture versus
nature', a glimpse is available in:
- even so it is
interesting, I concluded that there are way too many possible factors in any a person’s life, which are too unpredictable to ascertain a definite outcome.
A choice of attitude:
A choice of attitude:
For me personally – I
could have simply decided that this ‘sustainability aware upbringing’ I had is all a lot of
effort and a nuisance and lets take advantage of these instantly available,
ready- made commodities, like:
- packaged/instant/take
away (etc) food: who really wants to wait for a vege to grow fully so I can
finally eat it?
- or gosh – digging up soil? – way too much effort etc;
- looking into how the food I eat is being grown commercially? – well – ‘they’ wouldn’t sell it if it would be bad for me now would they?
- and I’m sure the treatment of animals isn’t that bad or someone would do something about it?
- or gosh – digging up soil? – way too much effort etc;
- looking into how the food I eat is being grown commercially? – well – ‘they’ wouldn’t sell it if it would be bad for me now would they?
- and I’m sure the treatment of animals isn’t that bad or someone would do something about it?
- ready-made clothing:
polyester is so convenient – dries in 5 minutes, doesn’t wear and tear like
natural fibres, is cheaper, keeps the colour better (etc), doesn’t need ironing
like linen, is less costly and again – if it would be bad for me or the
environment – well ‘they’ wouldn’t produce or sell it now would they?
- washing machines,
cars, fridges and so on.......
I could easily list a
lot more examples, which in my experience are so typical for people who either
aren’t informed - for some reason they truly haven’t come across any
information which would make them believe ‘life the way it is’ could or should
be otherwise – or they have actually heard of stories contrary to what they
believed and simply ignore or doubt the truth of it, leaving the responsibility
to the ‘producers’ (of whatever) rather than to the consumers (e.g. me and
everyone who consumes).
Then when ‘something goes wrong’ – like so and so has found that what they put in this or that food, water, air etc is causing this or that - there will be someone to blame.
Transparency:
There has been a lack of transparency and information available to the public in quite a few cases – 'one wouldn’t want to worry the population now would we'?
Publicizing stories or research about highly processed food with it's multitude of additives and their affect on the body after regular, long term consumption and how this might add up to eventually cause harm to the body, well - all this is not really a great sales strategy and hence 'not good for business'.
Then when ‘something goes wrong’ – like so and so has found that what they put in this or that food, water, air etc is causing this or that - there will be someone to blame.
Transparency:
There has been a lack of transparency and information available to the public in quite a few cases – 'one wouldn’t want to worry the population now would we'?
Publicizing stories or research about highly processed food with it's multitude of additives and their affect on the body after regular, long term consumption and how this might add up to eventually cause harm to the body, well - all this is not really a great sales strategy and hence 'not good for business'.
To only mention a couple of obvious ones:
Fast food chains like Mac Donald have had plenty of publicity concerning the lack of quality of their food and also in regards to obesity issues – just pop an appropriate phrase into Google and there you go! There is tons of info available.
Fast food chains like Mac Donald have had plenty of publicity concerning the lack of quality of their food and also in regards to obesity issues – just pop an appropriate phrase into Google and there you go! There is tons of info available.
Coca Cola has another popular product with a wonderful reputation of contributing to the unhealthy
state of the populace and these two are only a couple of the well-known names.
In my research there simply are too many reports of ‘may be dangerous to human health issues' that I get overwhelmed even thinking of trying to list a lot of them here.
In my research there simply are too many reports of ‘may be dangerous to human health issues' that I get overwhelmed even thinking of trying to list a lot of them here.
Anyone can actually just read the labels and see what they buy and maybe wonder what we are actually ingesting.
I have spent hours reading labels in Supermarkets, deciding which one has the least or no additives (and that doesn't give me any information on where or how this food has been grown). Reading labels can be a very time consuming habit, at least for a while until all the unacceptable products on offer have been eliminated from my shopping list.
In regards to being educated (informed) about products that are available to buy - I thought about this and wondered: where would I find information in an everyday situation like going food shopping in the Supermarket or when buying clothing?
There really isn't much obvious information/education 'out there' at all !
Supermarkets:
Supermarkets do not point out health risks or production facts like:
- this or that additive has been added and is known to cause cancer in, lets say (poor) lab rats experimentation/research;
- or - this product has no actual nutritional value as it is highly processed, denaturalized and basically only 'bulk', hence we have added artificial vitamins and other trace minerals;
- we mass produced the ingredients with lots of fertilizers, as the soil has no nutrients in it anymore due to overproduction for many years;
- we do not invite you to visit our factory where we process our food products as really - no one would want to buy them anymore after seeing what happens there;
- or when you serve up this cereal, chocolate, fizzy drink, canned food (etc) to your child, with all the amount of sugar we put in it, it may quite likely contribute to diabetes in your child's later life? etc.
Meat:
What would it be like to have the meat companies put some pictures of their production process on the packaging so everyone can see for themselves what they are supporting and buying.
What if it said: By purchasing this bacon, chicken, beef etc, you are supporting unhealthy, cruel and often (only) profit orientated practices as (in a nutshell) we pen these animals in very small spaces, give them food which makes them grow really fast and because of the unhealthy and unnatural living environment we also feed them all sorts of medication.
Then we load them into cramped trucks (very scary for the animal) and transport them to be slaughtered. As we mass produce, we often process the meat with all sorts of additives so that it will look appealing (color) when it gets delivered to the supermarket and 'keeps fresh'.
Clothing:
- or do clothing shops offer in any way an option for awareness (through information, a label or such) about where and how their products have been produced like: this garment has be produced using underpaid labour; to create this material we caused environmental pollution (dye, synthetic materials etc) and so on .....
Just a couple of examples of what kind of items have a health warning:
- Methylated Spirits: Keep out of reach of children; if swallowed ring this number ... or do/don't do this....
- Tobacco is also one product which now has very graphic health warnings on the packaging.
Overall - shouldn't there be more educational information about the potential health risks on many products we buy or information about how they were produced, potentially linking that as well to some health risks and/or unsustainable practices (for humans, animals and the planet)?
What about water - an essential needed for life: Nestle Portland Springs and what happens if people resist 'progress':
Nestle is an other one
who’s profit orientated practices have caused a stir on several occasions. Below are a few links about ‘Portland
Springs’ (water for/in water bottles) and what happened when some people
complained about their water recourses being used. To me it’s such a typical
story of ‘small people versus big companies’. If anyone can be bothered watching all of the links below
(plus a few more as I did) on this particular subject, it really makes me shake
my head that this can actually happen, as it’s so obviously, well - corrupt.
Is corruption sustainable? If not – why is it happening in so many places on this planed and in essential areas of what we need to live (survive)?
Is corruption sustainable? If not – why is it happening in so many places on this planed and in essential areas of what we need to live (survive)?
Looking briefly back
through human recorded history – isn’t this such a typical story of rich versus
poor, powerful exploiting the ‘weak’ etc etc. Many books or movies have been written
or made about one or the other hero opposing – well – it’s the good versus evil
– that kind of story.
Ellen Brockovich is only one of them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erin_Brockovich
Ellen Brockovich is only one of them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erin_Brockovich
Then there is the odd
revolution, civil war or actually world war, assassinations and all that stuff
- but really – it still goes on and on today......
Some interesting links on 'Portland springs':
Some interesting links on 'Portland springs':
BOTTLED LIFE - THE TRUTH ABOUT NESTLÉ'S ... - YouTube
► 89:09
► 89:09
www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2C1_bIovRE
Jan 25, 2013
BOTTLED LIFE - THE TRUTH ABOUT NESTLÉ'S BUSINESS
WITH ... refused to cooperate, on the pretext ...
Official
Trailer: Bottled Life - The Truth about Nestlé's ... - YouTube
► 1:34
► 1:34
www.youtube.com/watch?v=czfSwjx4yYA
Dec 14, 2011 -
Uploaded by DokLabCom
Official Trailer of Documentary-Film "Bottled Life - The Truth about ... You can't blame companies
like Nestle ...
BOTTLED LIFE / AFF 2012 - YouTube
► 1:34
► 1:34
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7CvEeTmZBc
Sep 27, 2012 - Uploaded by
AstraFilm
«BOTTLED LIFE» - Das Interview zum Film mit Urs
Schnellby BuresMedia 608 views; 10:21. Watch ...
Bottled Life.mov - YouTube
► 1:34
► 1:34
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkSU4D-wiws
May 19, 2012 - Uploaded by
cinemambientefest
Bottled
Life - Short Film - SirenTech Productionsby MrSciencetificsasuke 330 views ·
2:58. Watch Later ...
Nestlé fights off criticism - YouTube
► 4:50
► 4:50
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY1EfMsaa6M
Jan 27, 2012 - Uploaded by
swissinfovideos
Nestlé Waters accounts for almost ten per
cent of the Nestlé Group's consolidated sales. ...
But "Bottled Life
Money:
So truly – what’s it all about? Money?
Well – most unhealthy, destructive and unsustainable ‘issues’ I’ve researched boiled down to someone making a lot of money from them.
Well – most unhealthy, destructive and unsustainable ‘issues’ I’ve researched boiled down to someone making a lot of money from them.
Money rules the world? I guess it may have come to that in a lot of cases.
Money is power? I guess so but what are the consequences of this for the planet and the people who are the not so ‘flush’ majority', because lets face it – there are a few very rich people and a lot of not so rich people and quite a lot of extremely poor people inhabiting this earth.
I generally try to avoid politics, as it’s just so ‘messy’. Nevertheless, I have come across the Rothschild family and stories about them in my research that mentions, that because of their wealth, they pretty much own governments and banks, influence wars and so on.
How about Australian
mining magnate Gina Reinehart who, according to an article in Next Magazine, (August 2012, p. 50-53, report by Tim Hume), earns 2 million dollars per hour?
According to the Wikipedia she’s the richest woman in Australia and in the World. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gina_Rinehart
According to the Wikipedia she’s the richest woman in Australia and in the World. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gina_Rinehart
There is quite a list
of really rich people in this world (Google world's rich list). Why would they need (not want) all that
money when they surely must know that there is a lot of poverty in this world?
And how are they able to live with that knowledge?
And how are they able to live with that knowledge?
When I was 17 years
old, I travelled to Italy with a friend. One of the places we visited was Rome, where we were staying with some (financially) poor friends of my friend.
What I remember is they being so friendly and nice and literally forcing us to eat the last of their food or they would have been really offended.
We did go and visit the Vatican as well. What upset me was that there are so many riches in that building; from pure silver sarcophagi to golden goblets with huge gems set into them etc but then – when leaving the building - there were priest at the exits with bags asking for alms for the poor. I wondered why they didn’t just sell their treasures and give the money from that to the poor or do something to help the poor with it?
What I remember is they being so friendly and nice and literally forcing us to eat the last of their food or they would have been really offended.
We did go and visit the Vatican as well. What upset me was that there are so many riches in that building; from pure silver sarcophagi to golden goblets with huge gems set into them etc but then – when leaving the building - there were priest at the exits with bags asking for alms for the poor. I wondered why they didn’t just sell their treasures and give the money from that to the poor or do something to help the poor with it?
Is that kind of
imbalance sustainable?
Is poverty a result of a ‘lack of even distribution’ of wealth?
Is an attitude of 'I only look after myself' and not care for anything/anyone else predominant in today's wold?
Is poverty a result of a ‘lack of even distribution’ of wealth?
Is an attitude of 'I only look after myself' and not care for anything/anyone else predominant in today's wold?
Materialism,
Technology and a bit of GMO:
Why would people want
much more than they actually need?
Interesting to read the Wikipedia on Economic Materialism:
Interesting to read the Wikipedia on Economic Materialism:
and compare that with
Materialism:
which is a bit more of
a ‘philosophical/scientific look’ at material – e.g. materialism.
I guess modern,
western society is definitely being challenged by the first – economic
materialism.
I thought a bit about
this – economic materialism – and wondered when did humanity start to ‘mess up
the planet’ (pollute it) in such an overwhelming way?
I keep thinking that the Industrial Revolution http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution
had a lot to do with the amount of ‘stuff’ being produced and the waste materials, being dumped into nature (and humans) as a consequence. According to the Wikipedia link above, the Industrial Revolution started around 1760, so we are looking at approximately 250 years of increased ability to 'create a big amount of pollution'.
I keep thinking that the Industrial Revolution http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution
had a lot to do with the amount of ‘stuff’ being produced and the waste materials, being dumped into nature (and humans) as a consequence. According to the Wikipedia link above, the Industrial Revolution started around 1760, so we are looking at approximately 250 years of increased ability to 'create a big amount of pollution'.
The history of
technology is also interesting reading seeing the development from prehistoric
technology to now:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_technology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_technology
It really seems that
it was inevitable that humanity is where it is now looking at the progression
of technology.
To me it shows a certain development of consciousness throughout the ages, all in the name of improvement.
I think up to a certain point all that progress would not have damaged the environment but once it was possible to produce more and more (than actually was needed) and the promise of bigger and bigger profit was guaranteed – something definitely went in a direction, which started to snowball into a very real and looming environmental disaster.
Basically – economic materialism clearly is not sustainable.
To me it shows a certain development of consciousness throughout the ages, all in the name of improvement.
I think up to a certain point all that progress would not have damaged the environment but once it was possible to produce more and more (than actually was needed) and the promise of bigger and bigger profit was guaranteed – something definitely went in a direction, which started to snowball into a very real and looming environmental disaster.
Basically – economic materialism clearly is not sustainable.
A lot of ‘things’
available to buy these days (clothing, technology, shoes, toys etc) are made in
China and there are some reports out about the massive pollution this is
causing and the appalling working conditions some people face.
Some companies had the
idea to take their productions to ‘poor countries’ (e.g. India) where wages are
cheap so there can be more profit made, as there is less cost for labour. This
sometimes includes child labour:
I don’t believe
exclusive profit orientated thinking is sustainable, not for the environment or
the human physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing.
The sad thing is, I
believe a lot of the ‘improvements’ throughout human history may have truly started
off with a thought of making life easier for everyone. After all, for example -
labouring hard behind a horse and plough takes a lot of effort.
Even this GMO idea of
using genes from different species to improve another one might have started
off as a ‘this will help humanity’ idea. Nevertheless – I definitely don’t feel
like eating a tomato, which has some fish genes in it. It simply feels wrong.
A little video clip of
11 year old Birke Baehr (there is hope in the future) talking about what’s wrong with out food
system:
He’s now 14 and still
advocating for organic food and sustainable living.
How about chickens?
Sourced from:
Wow again. Such marvelous material here. I do know some free-range pig farmers who have pictures of their happy pigs by their stall in the market. I know lots of people who wont buy any pork unless it is free-range and made in NZ. And I certainly wont buy anything but free-range eggs. But I have to confess that I tend to buy non free-range chicken pieces because the alternative is more expensive in comparison, though I stick to my principles with whole chickens. Why is that I ask myself?
ReplyDeleteYou highlight just some of the dubious practices perpetuated by the supermarket model. I think that the only way that this will change is if consumers start demanding to know about conditions at the point of production - their voice has meant that we now get additives listed on processed food, but we still don't have any information about practices surrounding fresh food.
I too like you don't like genetically-modified foods but they are now everywhere - wheat can only be grown as hybrids now. The thought of fish genes in tomatoes is yukky but if we look at the genetic structure of all animals and plants, many have similar genetic makeups anyway. So really does it matter?
There are only so many genes to go round but it is how they are combined that creates the difference in the physical form. For example, cats and humans share similar x & y chromosomes. I guess what I object to is when humans start messing around with genes, but there have been many advantages to this, e.g., cures for illnesses.
In answer to your question: "Why would people want much more than they actually need?" Lets face it the human race is greedy but thankfully there are people like yourself who want to blend in with the planet and create a small footprint rather than stomp on it. A wonderful and informative reflection.
Thank you Bronwyn !
ReplyDeleteI agree - greed is definitely one of the failures of humans at the moment and unless that consciousness changes into values of care for the environment (it's the only one we do have) and for each other - we as the human race will possibly mess everything up even more. It's pretty bad as it is already.
Basically, what I am trying to show with my blog on sustainability is, that it's the consciousness (awareness) of humanity about the seriousness of our 'modern lifestyle and it's destructive consequences on the environment and us humans', which will make a (the) difference.
Denial about what is happening will have the affect that it will continue (and get worse).
Education for Sustainability is really an important key factor to awareness, hence what children are taught at home and at school could really make a difference. Still, as adults we do have the choice to question our existing 'system' or lifestyle and there are plenty of opportunities available to inquire about 'this and that' - if we care.
I remembered coming across a picture of a glowing orchid somewhere on the net ages ago. I looked it up on Google and found some links:
ReplyDeleteGlowing orchid:
http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchidtalk/breeding-hybridization/3452-glow-dark-orchids.html
Transgenic method (article partially on this orchid)
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/kabernd/seminar/2002/edible/pt.htm
And there is even a glowing rabbit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alba_(rabbit)
Without getting into pros and cons about GMO, what gets me here is that it seems to me that some people are 'playing with fire' (and we all might get burned), using transgenic methods (animal genes into plant genes).
Also using an innocent rabbit, who's got absolutely no chance of defense or say in this, for experimentation, really truly makes me wonder about the state (health) of human consciousness, by proving a total lack of dignity, moral and ethical values some scientist (and in this case also an artist) put on an actual life.