6 Steps to a Green Economy

If the leaders of the most influential countries and the CEOs of the biggest corporations, plus other key players working for large NGOs came to me and said, ”So Tegan, what do you propose?”, this is what I’d say. STEP 1. TAKE STOCK The foundation of a green economy is truly efficient use of resources. … Continue reading →

The Issue Attention Cycle

While reading Libby Lester’s Media and Environment as research for an essay, I came across a section where she writes about another author’s work which I found very interesting. Published back in 1972, Anthony Down’s book is called Up and Down With Ecology – The Issue Attention Cycle. He theorized that any ecological issue goes through a … Continue reading →

Make Money Matter

So we have this situation where the whole world is run on the assumption that economic growth is the major goal and all other aims like human happiness, humans having enough to eat and rare species being allowed to exist, that sort of thing, are secondary to that. We have this situation where we have … Continue reading →

On Paper Cups & Apathy

To supplement my student loan, I have a part-time job working in the cafe and shop at my university campus. This is all hunky dory generally, but today I had a very dismaying interaction with one of my bosses, the chef in the cafe. Basically I casually queried why we always use paper cups for tea and coffee … Continue reading →

Tax It Up?!

Tax. Isn’t that a horrible word? I’m sure it fills you with that indignant feeling – oh great, there the government goes again, taking loads of my hard earned wages to spend on their 5 star holidays and second homes. Great. But what if it could be a solution to the problematic discrepancy between environmental action and the profit-hungry … Continue reading →

On Higher Education

I’ve come now to the end of a certain chapter of my life, and the beginning of another. I’ve been anticipating university for over two years now and last week I finally went through my induction to the University of Brighton. Today is the start of the teaching term, and my first lecture is in approximately thirty eight minutes. For that … Continue reading →

My New Home – Eco Highs & Lows

I’ve recently moved to Brighton to start University. After two years of shared houses over which I had little control, I now have a flat with my boyfriend… This is great because we have the chance to make it our own personal bubble. Apart from aesthetics like poster placement and furniture juggling, a large part of this … Continue reading →

”Triple Bottom Lines” for Companies

Some businesses make lots of money while doing really bad stuff, such as exploiting people and causing pollution. Some businesses make lots of money while doing some good things, often by having some kind of foundation linked to the company. And some businesses make money by doing good things, such as Ecotricity, for example. This … Continue reading →

A ”Closed Loop Economy”

I’ve been giving some serious thought to what kind of economy/society we could have to replace our current model of waste and exploitation that will soon be breaking down. (Please see earlier posts about why and how. In this post I want to focus on what could be next). I think what we should have … Continue reading →

Supply & Demand and Demand & Supply

People like shifting blame. There’s a famous psychological study that suggests that the more people witness a victim in distress, the less likely any one onlooker is to do anything. This is because everyone’s thinking ‘’someone else will do something’’. Hmm… Dangerous. A similar thing happens on a much broader scale with all sorts of … Continue reading →

Happy Earth Day!

Today it’s the 22nd April 2012, and it’s Earth Day. Take a moment to really try and truly appreciate the Earth. Isn’t it amazing? Think of the diversity, the intelligence, the beauty. I think it’s awesome how many different forms life takes. Think of dandelion seeds blowing in the wind, fungus on a tree, a polar … Continue reading →

What about a Positive News program?

I don’t usually watch the news, but the other day I was watching TV and it came on and I didn’t do anything about it. I thought it might be beneficial to know about some current affairs, and besides I didn’t have much else to do. I can tell you I was struck by how … Continue reading →

On Environmental Hypocrisy and why it’s a Silly Notion

I really hate it when people discard other people’s efforts and label them as a hypocrite when they’re just doing their best. As you may guess, I’m talking specifically about people’s efforts to live a greener and more sustainable life. All too often I hear people saying stuff like ‘’Oh yeah, he’s such a hypocrite. … Continue reading →

We’re Natural Too You Know!

Whether it’s ‘’exploiting nature’’ or ‘’getting closer to nature’’, the problem’s the same: we aren’t recognizing that we ourselves are a part of the natural world. It’s easy to see why this assumption has come about… We’re so different to our Earthly cousins that the fact we’re animals too can easily be overlooked. I mean… … Continue reading →

Be Happy!

Be happy! But how? To some lucky souls happiness is the default condition, to others it’s an elusive goal to work towards. Yesterday I saw a wonderful card enscripted with the words ”Happiness is the way, not the destination”. Wise words indeed, but the New Economics Foundation (nef) go into a little more detail on … Continue reading →