|
Visit the CrissyCorkBoard!
|
Do you know what Self Conscious (Conscience) means? (Look closely at the logo at the top...what's the shadow say?)
Highlight the bottom for answer:
Self Conscious: Having an awareness of one's environment and one's own existence, sensations, and thoughts.
Self Conscience: The awareness of a moral or ethical aspect to one's conduct together with the urge to prefer right over wrong: Let your conscience be your guide.
YEL Project Mission Statement
We as I-YEL will enlighten others about the connections among consumerism, natural resources, and the media. By informing people about the cost of consumerism, we will inspire others to break the cycle, while exposing the secrets of the media. We will show other consumers our tremendous effects on the environment and urge others to conduct ways of changing it. We will influence everyone to first question where their products really come from, secondly to think about if the products they are buying are really essential, and finally to consider if they want to become a slave to consumerism.
Overview
What
is our role as consumers? We see something we want or need and buy it.
Unfortunately, our planet is losing natural resources - resources that
often go into producing the merchandise we purchase. Many people are fooled
by the media into thinking that we need all these materials to look good
or feel good, when really there are alternatives to shopping that can
save the planet and our own self esteem. We need to use our voices as
consumers, as well as think before we buy buy buy.
The Media
Each day, hundreds of ads target us. Although many of us think that they have no impact on us, a lot of this mainstream media directly feeds into our subconscious thoughts and plans. Sometimes, ads will try to make the company appear that it is environmentally and socially conscious, while the company's practices contradict that notion. Unfortunately, of the many people who fall victim to these coercions every day, a vast majority of them are youth. One of the key ways in which the media targets young minds is by making the youth feel as though they have to buy the products in order to meet standards and ultimately be accepted by a very hard-to-please society.
Consumerism
The result of this guilt, this self-consciousness, is massive spreads of consumerism and over-consumption. Instead of choosing carefully what products they truly need, as opposed to want, people get roped into buying in excess: extra food, extra clothing, extra accessories. So much of that food is discarded, and so much of those clothes sit in closets, unused, collecting dust. Why do people want an extra pair of shoes when they already have ten? Fashion, is usually the answer to that. Fashion, and not knowing when to stop.
Conserving Our Natural Resources
As
you can imagine, this massive consumerism can and does have a destructive
impact on our natural environment. Oil, already a precious resource, is
being guzzled for products such as plastic bags, plastic bottles, polyester
for clothes, lipstick, and computers. Animals are tested for unsustainable
and poisonous products such as shampoos, makeup, and household cleaning
supplies. Clothing, hamburgers, heating and cooling, computer chips, agriculture,
sanitation, and many more all use massive amounts of...water, water, water!
These finite resources are not able to replenish themselves without allowing
their natural cycle to continue on some level. And as if that weren't
enough, humans - children, especially - are forced to labor and product
these products, although they will never be properly treated or rewarded
for all the work that they do. As consumers, it is our duty to purchase
only what we need and only what the Earth and its people can support.
Ways that you can help to make a positive difference
Seek
out products in goodwill stores before going to brand-name stores. For
example: SF Goodwill, EcoSwirl, Crossroads, Salvation Army
Try to use your clothing as long as you can, and
see how long it can last without being replaced.
Be aware. Do not support companies that support child labor.
Try to limit buying what you want and instead focus on what you need.
For example: maybe you don't need that extra shirt or that lipstick, but
you definitely need a
pair of shoes (because you have outgrown your only pair) and a bottle
of sunscreen (because otherwise you will get a sunburn).
Only purchase enough food to satisfy your hunger - if you cannot finish
the food you bought, then either save it or give it to someone else who's
hungry.
Avoid eating at fast-food restaurants.
Buy organic products. Examples of stores: Trader Joe's, Rainbow, Whole
Food's, Wild Oats
Do not buy foods that come in individually wrapped
packages. Buy in bulk.
Donate old clothing to second-hand stores or family businesses.
Hold a garage sale - let others use your old treasures.
Purchase items from little stores instead of big corporations.
Take an old article of clothing and give it a new
look. For example: cut torn jeans at the knees to make shorts or decorate
your shirt with glue and glitter.
Try to limit bath/shower time to conserve water.
Save electricity by using the computer and the television
less.
Save your self-esteem by creating your own image of beauty and ultimate
success.
What We Did
During
the school year of 2003-2004, the I-YEL team created an event that would
show people the connections among over-consumption, media literacy, consumerism,
and conservation of our natural resources. Local spoken word artists would
stress the rhythm of the problems with their powerful voices. The fashion
show would show people that you can conserve clothes and look good - I-YEL
interns would model clothes either bought from the Thrift or made by interns'
hands from recycled materials. The Cotton Story would educate people about
the process through which our clothing is made. The video, combining several
interviews from on-the-spot talents, would show people what others thought
about these issues.
In the beginning, we debated and tried to come up with a singular idea that would emcompass all our goals. Eventually, we decided to throw an event with multiple components, so that we wouldn't have to compromise any of our ideas. From there, we split up into three committees: Fashion Show, Logistics/Display, and Video. Each committee was responsible for implementing a certain component of Self-Conscious.
The Fashion Show committee learned how to use a sewing machine, designed and made all the outfits, and coordinated who would represent which sti-yel. The Logistics/Display committee reviewed and chose the location (CELL Space) and look of Self Conscious, coordinated the flyers, aesthetics, and decorations, and researched and made the huge display called the Cotton Story. The Video committee wrote an initial script for an action movie about a group of informed people '(called the Media Extractors of Justice) whose mission was to stop the head of a huge corporation (called Old Slavey) and empower people to use their CHOICE as their voice. After many revisions and rehearsals, the committee was pressured to change the focus to interviews. The committee went to different neighborhoods to ask streetgoers what their opinions were about the media, consumerism, and natural resources.
A few weeks before Self Conscious, everyone came together to round out the edges. In addition to practicing the runway walk, people offered each other advice and help on their individual tasks. We gathered up our supplies and our positive spirits and made Self Conscious a shining success.
Helpful Links
* check out an article from "El Tecolote" news paper
From ‘Self-conscious’ to ‘Self-conscience’