Proposal and Practical Ideas

Prompts to consider for your proposal:

What is your theme/subject? 

What does it mean?

Sustainability/Green Movement - Sustainability sets the focus on the future. It means the item or action is generating environmental, social and economic benefits, while not using up too many resources or causing pollution. Yes, all these aspects are covered under this one word.

Compared to ‘”green” and “eco-friendly,” sustainability has much higher standards. Sustainability includes eco-friendly activities and green products, but green doesn’t necessarily mean sustainable.

Does your proposal have a working title?

Is it named after your theme, do have a question in mind...

- Is the sustainability movement is actually sustainable?

- Can we encourage individuals to be more sustainable using design?

Why are you drawn to your theme/subject?

How does it link to Graphic Design - your practice? How does it link to your personal interests?

I'm around a lot of people who talk about sustainability and try to be more green themselves, however I get frustrated with the movement as it has an elitist bubble surrounding it.
I'm interested into the product side of the movement as well, and why there are suddenly been an increase in sustainable products and brands, books and influencers, who have all latched onto this new movement. 
As my degree is a very practical based degree I create a lot of waste, it's something I've become aware of more recently, and I'd love to be able to make more informed decisions on the processes I use. 

What is its historical context? 

Is this an old/new concept? How did it come about? Is it tied to specific eras/places/people?

I know the movement has been around for a long time, starting in the 60s, however it's in a massive boom at the moment and I want to know why. In the 1970s environmentalists noticed that the toxic waste sites and were associated, adding more weight onto the movement, however this isn't prevalent in the movement anymore. 

Why are millennials so interested din being "sustainable"?

Are there any particular case studies you would like to discuss?

Designers / design, events, political movements, places?

Are there specific texts you will be using to underpin your discussion?

Theories, cultural phenomena, writers, articles...?

https://thefuturescentre.org/fos2019/ - this website has a lot of key information for the need for the sustainability movement.

Other theories will be based on consumerism surrounding sustainability as well as questions about the movement itself.

The Proposal

I want to investigate the sustainability of the Green movement. The key areas I will look into are sustainable consumerism and the current rise in movements popularity. Within these areas there will be a continuous investigation into whether the movement itself is sustainable, as this underpins all potential findings.

The reason I'm choosing to focus on these issues is that the sustainability movement interests me but also frustrates me, I feel as though the movement can be elitist and only lend itself to those with money. It is presented in a very clean and minimal way which can appear unattainable to most people. However, I know it is important, because even though it may not all be positive it is starting a conversation about how we need to take a serious look at our planet and our impact on it.

The reason I'm wanting to focus on consumerism is because I believe it contributes massively to the sustainability of our planet. We vote with our money, what we pay for creates a demand and thus a supply. By researching into what we are buying and why we can then take the steps to produce a more sustainable alternative that will be effective.

Practical applications for the essay could include:

- The re-branding of supermarket/s to highlight their already sustainable alternatives.

- To design posters/flyers etc for a sustainable campaign.

- A publication/website/final product to conclude findings and educate others on the movement.