Connections to Consumption

Artist Statement

The correlation between environmental issues can be seen from a macro to micro view. Starting from the large scale, Climate Change being the overarching result of a global way of living. The altering of climate zones around the world is largely an effect of human consumption habits as a whole. And leads directly to sea level rise. Going smaller, I chose to focus on a specific symbol that represents human consumption, the cargo ship. The cargo ship is a representation of global trade; it is the new largest creature in the seas, overtaking the whale in mass and size. This is the vessel that transports all of our goods from port to port, from manufacturing country to consumer. Going further into a micro view, after the cargo ship brings the goods to port. Daily human consumption is the next step. The way in which we choose to live our lives has a great impact on our environment. This is where change begins, on an individual basis. Being mindful of how you choose to consume necessary and unnecessary products is the beginning of creating change.

The Focus

Coastal development

Take Action

While it’s hard for an individual to control human population growth and the decisions of landowners and construction companies, you can take small steps to support the restoration and protection of coastal habitats by:

• Supporting the creation of nature reserves and Marine Protected Areas, where development is limited and fishing is prohibited.
• Being a conscious consumer. Buy organic produce grown without pesticides, fertilizers, and other toxic chemicals.
• Supporting legislation that bans the dumping of sewage and chemicals into the oceans.
• Opposing new developments that disregard the health of coastal ecosystems and are poorly planned.