Don Ritter School of Creative Media sustainability noun 1. the - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Don Ritter School of Creative Media

sustainability noun 1. the ability to be sustained, supported, upheld. 2. Environmental Science . the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance dictionary.com

ecology noun 1. the branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, including other organisms. (ie. plants and humans exchange oxygen and C02) 2. Also called human ecology. the branch of sociology concerned with the spacing and interdependence of people and institutions. dictionary.com In ecology, sustainability is the property of biological systems to remain diverse and productive indefjnitely. wikipedia.com

sustain verb 1. to support, hold, or bear up from below; bear the weight of, as a structure. 3. to undergo, experience; endure without giving way or yielding. 5. to keep up or keep going, as an action or process: to sustain a conversation. 6. to supply with food, drink, and other necessities of life. dictionary.com

synonyms of sustainability continual: repeatable, frequently viable: able to live and grow feasible: capable of being done unceasing: never ending imperishable: enduring, cannot be destroyed liveable: suitable for living renewable: can be restored, can be recovered supportable: capable of being supported, maintainable unending: never ending green: symbolizes concern for the environment

Sustainability : a state of continual and acceptable survival for the Earth and for the diversity of its living organisms and non-living entities

Environmental Concerns for Sustainability Components of the natural environment, including: • the physical earth: inner earth, rocky crust, soil • water: oceans, rivers, streams, lakes, glaciers • atmosphere: stratospheric layers, climate, weather • life: all living organisms, including humans, animals, sea life, plants, etc. • wilderness: natural environments not modifjed by humans • ecosystem: interrelated system comprised of all living and non-living factors • biome: an specifjc ecosystem comprised of specifjc living and non-living factors • biogeochemical cycle: exchange of chemicals between living organisms and the physical world (clouds>rain>rivers>condensation>clouds) a healthy natural environment is required for the survival of humans and other organisms

Some Environmental Concerns for Sustainability: atmosphere atmospheric layers: the various layers of gases (air) surrounding the earth that are held in position by gravity • fjve main layers in the atmosphere: exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, and the troposphere (closest to the Earth) • other layers contained within the fjve main layers: ozone layer, ionosphere, homosphere, heterosphere, and the planetary boundary climate: the temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, and other meteorological elements in a specifjc region over long periods of time weather: the temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, and other meteorological elements in a specifjc region at a specifjc time

Some Environmental Concerns for Sustainability: global warming greenhouse gas: a gas in the atmosphere that absorbs and produces radiation that causes heat; green house gases include water vapour, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. greenhouse effect: the warming of the earth’s surface caused by green house gases global warming or climate change: “an increase in the earth’s average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect.” Global warming can damage ecosystems (ie. melting glaciers can cause fmooding of coastal citys: Hong Kong, New York, etc. ) scientists are 95% certain that global warming is caused by human activities that are producing large amounts of CO 2 The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2014)

Some Environmental Concerns for Sustainability: global warming

Some Economic Concerns for Sustainability economics: the science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, or the material welfare of humankind. dictionary.com • a nation’s wealth • how economic wealth is distributed within a society and throughout the world • minimum wages for employment • how human activities today will affect future people’s ability to live at the same degree of prosperity and comfort • sustainable consumption of good and services • safe products • sale of banned products • customer privacy • legal business practices

Some Economic Concerns for Sustainability: Gini coeffjcient Gini coeffjcient/index: measurement indicating income distribution within a nation map showing 2014 data: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gini_coeffjcient higher numbers indicate more inequality red = high inequality (most of a country’s wealth is held by small group of people) green = low inequality (a country’s wealth is more evenly distributed)

Some Social Concerns for Sustainability social: relating to human society, especially as a body divided into classes according to status; of or relating to the life, welfare, and relations of human beings in a community: dictionary.com • peace (not war) • personal safety • justice for everyone • poverty • discrimination • urbanism (living in large cities) • child labour • forced labour • indigenous rights • labour practices

Ethics : an area of philosophy concerned with human values and with which human behaviours are considered good and which are not. Is sustainability a value or not? Is sustainability important or not?

Questions on Being Sustainable Which human actions are enhancing (improving) sustainability today? Which other human actions could enhance sustainability more? Which human actions are diminishing (reducing) sustainability? Which human actions could diminish (reduce) sustainability even more? Are people aware their actions are diminishing sustainability? Are people aware their actions are enhancing sustainability?

Sustainable Development “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” from the 1987 Brundtland Report, United Nations United Nations (UN) : an international organization of sovereign free states (free countries) that promotes international co-operation.

Sustainable Development Goals On 1 January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by world leaders at the UN 1. Poverty – End poverty in all forms everywhere 2. Food – End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture 3. Health – Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 4. Education – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 5. Women – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 6. Water – Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

7. Energy – Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 8. Economy – Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 9. Infrastructure – Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation 10. Inequality – Reduce inequality within and among countries 11. Habitation – Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 12. Consumption – Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 13. Climate – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

14. Marine-ecosystems – Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 15. Ecosystems – Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertifjcation, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss 16. Institutions – Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 17. Sustainability – Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

Visual Semiotics semiotics : “the study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behaviour; the analysis of systems of communication, as language, gestures, or clothing.” dictionary.com linguistics: “the science of language, including phonetics (sounds in words), phonology (arrangement of sounds), morphology (formation of words and relationships), syntax (arrangement of words), semantics (meaning of words), pragmatics (relationship between context and meaning), and historical linguistics.” dictionary.com visual semiotics: an area of semiotics that analyses how visual images (non-linguistic signs) communicate a message components of a sign: a) signifjer: the sound, image, or word within a sign (ie. a photograph) b) signifjed: the concept or meaning represented by the sign (ie. a person’s interpretation of the photograph)