Art and Design as Catalysts Towards Behaviour Change

Published in The Wessex Muse Magazine

Eco-friendly, green, and ethical are three terms that seem to be relatively recent buzzwords in consumer culture, spurring other familiar terminology such as organic, holistic, and free trade. Most of us can see when we step inside a supermarket or even a (surprise!) McDonalds, that the corporate world is finally developing a conscience. The more all-encompassing term sustainability has also become a little more popular in today’s consumer-driven society – yet unfortunately the complexity of the word does not allow people to fully understand its meaning, thereby negating any improvements made on the corporate end. People might identify the word ‘sustainable’ with something positive, yet how does being sustainable relate to us personally (for instance, how does deforestation in the Amazon affect our daily lives here in the UK?) We may think we are doing our bit by recycling or buying organic food, but the problem is much more complex than that – being ‘sustainable’ requires a complete shift in our current lifestyles and behaviours.

Read the rest of this article