I would really like to get to know Brooke Singer. She seems passionate about many of the same things I am, basically things related to our environment. She seems primarily interested in public health as related to environmental toxins, although she also has a lot to say about the use and impact of technology in our lives.
The EcoNews section was thought provoking for me. I used to work as a journalist covering environmental issues. A site that roll “good news” alongside “bad news” is a really interesting concept that challenges the way traditional media delivers news. And I like it. I would subscribe to a feed like that.
One of the issues I covered as a journalist was, for a short time, Superfund sites. Her list of Superfund sites is fascinating and provides more information, in a more compelling and clear way, than many other websites about Superfund locations. How many people live nearby? What is the history of the site? I checked out Oregon’s sites, and of course they are not all listed, so I wonder how she chose which 365 she would put on the site. In any case though, it raises awareness, and it provides me as a Strat Comm major who wants to help environmental nonprofits communicate to a broader public with fodder for my own goals.
Counter Kitchen also raises awareness. I make my own deodorant and lotion, and I have made a number of other household products, plus foods such as chocolate and herbal medicines, and I can appreciate the desire to deconstruct a product. People used to make these things. Women, mostly. There are a number of factors that have led us to where we are: industrial revolution, women’s rights movement, a chemical revolution, and the dominance of global capitalism and consumption. We want to consume products, quickly and cheaply, and spend our time doing other things like making money to consume those products. That is the system. Brooke Singer uses tactical media to challenge that system by forcing us to consider if it is what we really want.
Hi Natalie,
I loved reading your post. I could sense your enthusiasm connecting with Brooke Singer. I live for moments when I stumble upon a writer/producer/creative-whatever that has the same sense of purpose and/or interest that I do.
Would you ever consider contacting her?
Jamie,
Interesting, I didn’t think about contacting her until you mentioned it. Maybe. ?
People do indeed used to make things. I think that is an aspect of an overarching powerful critique that you can see in Brooke Singer’s work.
Aside from the obvious social commentaries about sweatshop work and food wastage for example, she’s pointing out how we seem to have lost certain connections in the cycle of consuming and living. That may sound more like a rhetorical complaint but I think that actually relates to our attitudes and practices on environmental lifestyle issues. If you make your own clothes and raise your own food, you would respect the production process more and maybe become a more thoughtful consumer.
Thank you Natalie for sharing your thoughts and insights. Your genuine interest in environmental advocacy and strategic communication is commendable, and I hope your journey in this field continues to be rewarding.