13 | September | 2011 | ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING

Chapter 2 discusses the different types of environmental ideologies that people develop around the world. Corbett discusses everything from a human centered world to ideologies that question the dominant environment ideologies and call for extensive social change. The chapter focuses on different perceptions, beliefs, actions, and somewhat consequences we surround ourselves with in our environment. An environmental conscious can come in many shapes and forms, and what can sound appealing and ecocentric, yet once dug into a bit deeper it could be quite the opposite.

After reading this chapter it left me more informed and bit angry. This book appears to me to be a bit extreme and excessive. One section that stands out vividly to me is that on conservationist. Corbett claims that the conservationist practice is the focus of “human benefit”. Being what I believe in as a conservationist myself, this upsets me. Every animal lives off the land, just as humans do too. She describes conservationist at only looking at plants, rocks, fish, etc as a utilitarian benefit. What ever happened to Darwin’s theory on survival of the fittest? If anything, conservationists are the ones who keep the animals thriving off their environment. Without conservationists fishing holes would be depleted, big game species would become extinct. We are the ones who pay the most to protect these species (hunting licenses) and make sure that we enjoy them just as much as the rest of nature does. A true conservationist utilizes all parts of the commodity they are pulling from the wild. While this chapter discussed a lot more than conservationists, this is what I personally felt compelled to reflect on.

-Beau Bakley

Amanda Sherry

In Ch. 6 of “Communicating Nature,” Julia Corbett discusses the relationship between the environment and advertising. Corbett begins the chapter by explaining how advertisements are everywhere. Within these advertisements, there are four types of ads that feature the environment. These include nature-as-backdrop, green product attributes, green image, and environmental advocacy.

Utilizing nature as a backdrop is the most common use of the natural world in advertisements. They utilize animals, in particular, because they are the “popular symbols of the nonhuman environment.” In the green product attributes advertisements, consumers are convinced that they are doing “the right thing for the Environment” by purchasing the given item. Green image advertisements focus on the institution rather than on the particular product by drawing attention to the pro-environment actions of the organization. Finally, environmental advocacy ads advocate a specific stance on a given environmental issue.

Through these advertising techniques, Corbett notes how the advertisements often deceive their customers because they showcase themselves as being more environmentally friendly than they actually are. Therefore, advertisements “invoke” public values, such as friendship or a common planet, and utilize them to sell individual goods. Because advertisements are virtually everywhere, they hold great power and influence over the values and ideas of the customers.

In Ch. 7 of “Communicating Nature,” Julia Corbett describes the role animals play in environmental messages. Through the pop culture industry, animals are given a particular “meaning,” which is represented through paintings, advertisements, and clothing. Thus, these representations influence everyone’s thoughts and actions. Though we do not necessarily “know” these animals, people still have strong perceptions of these animals. For example, in a study, students were asked to categorize animals as “good” or “bad.” Through this study, it was recognized that people tend to group all insects together in the “bad” column, regardless of if they are beneficial for humans. Because of the preconceived notions that humans have about animals, Corbett explains that we do “lack knowledge, stereotype, and generalize.” Still, she concludes the chapter by noting that humans need animals, be it in a zoo, as a pet, or in the movies, because we share a common environment with them.

In Ch. 8 of “Communicating Nature,” Julia Corbett describes the role the environment plays in the media. According to Corbett, people tend to believe what the mass media presents. However, the environment is often pushed aside because it is “a snore” and is overlooked for more exciting topics such as celebrity gossip.

When journalists are faced with a vast variety of news topics, they attempt to save money and time by only focusing on “what the dominant culture considers the most newsworthy.” In other words, the journalists decide what is shown to the public and what is pushed aside. Furthermore, when discussing environmental stories that do make the cut, Corbett notes how journalists are trained to give the “five W’s and H,” with less important facts towards the end of the article. Therefore, when they attempt to provide both sides of a story, it is nearly impossible to reach a balance because one side is going to be mentioned in the coveted first paragraph before the contrasting side.

According to Corbett, if there are no social changes about the way people make decisions about natural resources, it is very unlikely that environmental issues will make headlines. The media dictates and creates a social reality rather than being an “objective mirror” of world events. Because journalism is a profit-making business, it must appeal to the audience, so they are interdependent on society and publish articles that appeal to the masses.

After reading the assigned chapters, I found myself in agreement with a lot of the ideas that Corbett mentions and proves. In particular, the animal chapter was the most interesting to me because I tend to “judge” animals based off of preconceived notions that are not necessarily based on fact. Through various childhood stories, I have come to admire some animals while fearing others, despite the fact that I have not encountered any of these animals outside of the zoo.

In the chapter about advertising, I agree with Corbett that advertising has a powerful influence over society, because advertisements truly are everywhere. This chapter made me realize that there has not been a single day where I have not witnessed some form of advertisement that has attempted to persuade my point of view. Further, these advertisements do have a strong effect on the way that people view the natural world. In this chapter, it was most interesting when Corbett claimed that companies attempt to have an eco-friendly reputation because it appeals to the masses. The companies do this in order to sell more products when in fact they are not good for the environment at all. For me, this false reality is very troubling because it is extremely easy for consumers to be fooled by advertisements. After reading this section, I thought about how many times I bought a product because I believed it was beneficial for the environment and how it is very likely that this was actually not the case at all.

Though Corbett has some interesting ideas about how journalists function, I disagreed with her point that journalists are unable to create a truly balanced piece of work that shows both sides of an environmental issue. In my opinion, journalism is an art, and I do believe that some writers are capable of portraying both sides of a story to the masses in an equal manner. Furthermore, Corbett appears to think that journalists are corrupt and do things to save time and money. Though this may be true to an extent, I do not believe that all journalists will refrain from running an article because they are worried about sales.