Explain
What is popular culture telling us about the state of our Earth? This section seeks to guide you through the ways in which different avenues of pop culture are influencing the climate conversation. Shifts toward sustainable fashion, the rise of “climate fiction” literature, and the global spread of “plogging”, all exemplify the use of pop culture as a vehicle for global, systemic change. As you work through this section, please think through the ways in which you see popular culture responding to a changing climate.
Explore
Fast Fashion’s Impacts on Earth’s Climate
- How can we fight climate change? Slow down fast fashion PBS
- The price of fast fashion Nature International Journal of Science
- Why fast fashion needs to slow down UN Environment
Shifting To Sustainable Fashion
Sci-Fi, Speculative Fiction, Dystopian Futures
- Is Climate Fiction a Subset of Science Fiction -- or Something Else Entirely? Natural Resources Defense Council
- How science fiction helps readers understand climate change BBC
- Cli-Fi on the big screen changes minds about real climate change CNN
Shifts Toward Sustainable Food
- Sustainable Food and Faith The Interfaith Observer
- Waste not, want not: Schools waste $5 million a day in uneaten food. Here's how Oakland is reinventing the cafeteria Grist
Plogging!
Engage
1. In mainstream media you are often referred to as a consumer. What is complicated about referring to human beings as consumers?
2. Okay, so you’re a consumer. Are you comfortable with this designation? If not, identify two terms that can or should be used in the future to reference our relationship to the Earth.
3. Pop Culture Calls to Action (10 Minutes)
In 10 minutes, write down ideas of activities that can you engage in that will help bring the complex social, political, and environmental issues that you care about to the forefront of popular culture. Afterward, share this list with at least one other person and spend ten minutes discussing the particulars of your list with them and vice-versa.