Tag: Politics

The Truth of Comedy

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Send in the Clowns

A Brilliant Mechanism

There is lots written about the media and the nature of its influence on public discourse. Over time, I have also come to realize the limited picture we get when we simply follow what is conveyed over cable news. Fortunately, I was also lucky enough to travel, pickup a love of reading, and greatly diversify where I get my information and content.

In this time of increasing media monopolization and blatant dominance of money in the political process, it is critical to have various outlets and channels to reach out to and learn from. I have already listed a few in the past (see Becoming Sustainably Motivated), but I wanted to focus this time round on the importance of humor, satire, and comedy for criticizing the status quo and questioning the established narrative.

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Top 5 Water Consumption Docs

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Precious Resource

Exploring the Dynamics

In honour of the upcoming World Water Day (March 22), I’ve compiled a list of my “Top 5 Water Consumption” documentaries. There is definitely a lot of information out there once you start digging, but the following list is meant to give you a comprehensive overview. Water is life! Due to this undeniable fact alone, we should all learn more about water access. Furthermore, given its fundamental nature, and limited abundance, it is also a serious source of concern and conflict for many on the planet. This is just a taste of some of the challenges, struggles, and success stories in our relationship with water.

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Feeling the Japanese Enthusiasm for the UNEP

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Green goblin

A Truly Global Initiative

I recently attended an event hosted by The Japan Association for the UNEP (J-UNEP) held here in Tokyo at the UN University Shibuya campus. As someone newly arrived to this country, I’ve been excited to learn more about the sustainable practices and developments that are going on in Japan. Fortunately, this forum provided me with my first inroad into connecting with some interesting people who share my passion for sustainability. It was also really helpful that the conference was in English!

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Are Divestments Working?

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Old Pump

What We’re Dealing With

Divestment is “the act of selling off a business/es, or of no longer investing money in something,” (Cambridge Dictionary). Basically pulling your money from organizations that you no longer believe to be of sound investment, or that you have come to disagree with as a result of their corporate actions and operations. In the context of climate change, the movement to divest represents the growing trend to withdraw investments from companies that deal in fossil fuels (such as coal & petroleum), and consequently endanger our future and that of the planet.

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A Sustainable Source of Quality Jobs

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Book Recommendation

The Green Collar Economy

by Van Jones (2008)

Green Collar

Van Jones makes the case for the renewable energy sector as a force for environmental and economic good. Climate change is indeed a terrible man-made crisis, but it also presents an opportunity for societies to shed their fossil fuel dependency and offer leadership through alternatives and innovation.

Globalization has transferred millions of manufacturing jobs away from developed nations towards the developing world. This need not be viewed as a bad thing for the developed states (although labour conditions in the developing world are still in need of dramatic improvement). Rather, it provides the chance for the US, and other prosperous countries, to invest in the future and expand the skills of their citizens.

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