SARVAM

Education of Active Citizenship & Sustainable Development for a Future U’

Dr. Geetika Saluja

geetika.b.saluja@gmail.com

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF MEDIA IN COMMUNICATING FOR SUSTAINABILITY

To help critique the media you come across, here are some questions you can ask:

• Who created this message?• Who is the audience for this message?• Does the pic convey message related with society,

environment, environment, politics or marketing of the product (economics)

• What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF MEDIA IN COMMUNICATING FOR SUSTAINABILITY

To help critique the media you come across, here are some questions you can ask:

• How might other people understand this message differently from me?

• What lifestyles, values and points of view are represented in, or left out, this message?

• Why is this message being sent?• Does this message convey the purpose for what it

was created?

However, in communication failing to plan is planning to fail.

•Who? (is the target group)•Why? (are we doing this - the goals)•What? (are we trying to say - the content of the message)•How? (should we say it - the way it is to be delivered)•When? (should we do it - timing and co-ordination)•Which? (way is the best to go about it -communication channels)

A way to avoid environmental damage is to avoid unnecessary products and services. However, there are products that we actually need and want to have. In these cases producing and consuming products and services in an environmentally friendly and socially responsible way is a number one preventive environmental strategy towards creating more sustainable societies.

So, how can you do it? Here are some ideas Step 1: Needs AssessmentBefore we consume something, we ask ourselves the question: “Do I really need it?”This is known as a needs assessment. A needs assessment identifies two things:•Whether a “need” or “want” exists.•The most appropriate way to meet that need or want.

Step 2: Choose wisely •Select the least environmentally and socially harmful alternatives (choose wisely).•Use products or choose services responsibly so that the environmental impacts of using a product or getting a service are minimized.

Step 3: Dispose wiselyDispose products in a way that minimizes the environmental impacts

.

•Group Task given at the end

Use the needs assessment for the next item that you purchase.

Then, discuss with your group about how this felt. What item were you purchasing and did the needs assessment help your purchasing decision?

What was the outcome of the assessment for you? If not, why not?

List 3 things that your group learned from the process.