Part 1. Listen
Slow Movement: Listen to one of the podcasts on implementing “slow” in the modern world. http://www.carlhonore.com/unlock-slow/podcasts/
I listened to the “A Slow Phone?” podcast by Carl Honore
Part 1. Questions
Describe 3 challenges and 3 opportunities that you see in the slow movement. Do you want to slow some aspect(s) of your life? If so, what concrete steps can you take to achieve this?
According to goslowworld.com, the slow movement is about:
- Slowing down some aspects of our life
- Getting back to doing things at the right speed
- Focusing on the present task and stop trying to do everything at once
- Slow down to find energy to get involved in the world around us
Challenges: Affluenza, Social Norms, and Keeping up
#1. AFFLUENZA
According to class lecture notes, Affluenza is “a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more (de Graaf, 2008)”. Affluenza is all about consumerism and the negative affects it has on our life.
A large part of the fast pace life we live today is due in part to the amount of time and money we put towards buying things. Since consumerism is consistently increasing, it poses a huge challenge to slowing down and being happy with what you have.
It’s not hard to see the effect affluenza has on the slow movement, all we have to do is look at the news about Black Friday. Instead of this time of year being dedicated to American Thanksgiving, it is more widely known as the time for getting great deals on Black Friday. This tradition has also carried over to Canada and many other countries around the world.
“Traditionally, Thanksgiving is a holiday dedicated to family and thankfulness for what we already have, but now it seems to be about cutting family time short to go get more stuff.” – tifwe.org
The worst part of this all, was that when I was looking up information about Black Friday, I came across a website solely dedicated to tracking the number of deaths and injuries that occur because of Black Friday: http://blackfridaydeathcount.com.
This problem is also apparent during the Christmas season. Christmas seems to be a very stressful time for people, when it really should be about enjoying time with family and friends and taking some days off of work and school to slow down. However, there is so much pressure to rush and get everything done including buying gifts and shopping. Again, the focus is on consumerism and “stuff” rather than spending time with loved ones and slowing down.
#2. SOCIAL NORMS
From my own experience, I know that there is pressure to work hard and have the best job and be involved in as many activities and volunteer opportunities as possible. Sometimes slowing down is labelled as being “lazy” or “a slacker” or puts you at a disadvantage for school and work opportunities.
I have heard comments at work when people take a sick day or vacation time. There is sometimes a negative attitude towards people who take sick time or vacation time for reasons I don’t understand. I’ve always wondered what was wrong with taking a sick day to feel better? Or vacation time to get away from work stress? Some days you just need to take time off from everything and unwind. But there is this weird social norm that you should always be doing something.
For example, I remember hearing about this trend in Japan where people would fall asleep at their desk to display just how hard they were working and how exhausted they were from their hard work. As The New York Times put it, napping at the office is “seen as a subtle sign of diligence”.
You must be working yourself to exhaustion.” – The New York Times
And Daily Mail reports that the “nodding-off-on-the-job culture” started partly because of the long hours Japanese workers have, as well as, the short amount of time they spend sleeping (around 6 hours per night).
This culture of working yourself to exhaustion poses a serious challenge to the slow movement. I don’t think it is quite as extreme in Canada, but there does seem to be more value on a fast pace life and sometimes a negative outlook on aspects of the slow movement.
Interestingly, though, Carl Honore speaks about the Slow Movement on a Ted Talks presentaion and states that Nordic European countries who have been decreasing work hours are actually showing improvements in hourly productivity and reporting increases in quality of life.
#3. KEEPING UP
Keeping up ties largely into the first two challenges to the slow movement – affluenza and social norms. Most people want to fit in and keep up with the latest trends, technology, and current information. Many times this means overworking, wasting time on social media, and spending time on buying “things”. This definitely poses a challenge to the slow movement, because instead of being in the present moment and enjoying life as it is, we are always looking ahead and trying to keep up with everyone and everything else.
An example of this is with young adults and children. In the Ted Talks presentation by Carl Honore, he speaks about burn out in children and adolescents because of the amount of pressure put on them to keep up and get ahead with homework and extra curricular activities. He then goes on to explain that, at a particular school, homework was banned for children under 13-years-old and that there was a 20% increase in math and science exam marks. This just goes to show that a fast pace lifestyle doesn’t always get you ahead faster. Sometimes it gets you to “burn out” faster, when all we need to do is slow down to get ahead.
Opportunities: Unplug, Treat Affluenza, Time to Move
#1. UNPLUG
I listened to “A Slow Phone?” podcast by Carl Honore and I really liked the idea of “stacking”. When a group of people go out to eat, everyone takes out their phones and stacks it on the table, the first person to touch their phone has to pay for everyone’s meal. I like this idea because it gives incentive to unplug for a little while and be present in the moment. It’s a great opportunity to help everyone slow down and enjoy the time they are spending with the people they are with. I think this is a great opportunity to slow down and unwind a little bit.
#2. Treat Affluenza
I think an opportunity to integrate the slow movement is to stop spending money and shopping so much. We have learned in class that there is this vicious cycle of over working to buy the latest products, only to become too drained to enjoy aspects of life, so we buy more things to fill the void, and so we have to work even harder to pay for those things.
“Affluenza” causes lower levels of happiness and it affects both mental and physical health. There are so many people in debt because of over consumption and it really takes away from our ability to enjoy life. An opportunity to slow down could be, instead of going shopping and spending money, maybe go out for a tea with a friend which is a lot cheaper. Another idea could be to spend some time reading a book or pick up a hobby and enjoy and positive experience.
According to a scientific journal posted in Oxford Academic by Carlisle, S. and Hanlon, P., over-consumption has negative impacts on the well-being of individuals, as well as, the environment.
An article by Tori DeAngelis from the American Psychological Association website reports that young adults have grown up with “much more affluence, slightly less happiness and much greater risk of depression and assorted social pathology.”
Consumerism is also negatively impacting the environment. According to Greentumble.com, consumerism leads to increased pollutant emissions, increased land use and deforestation, and accelerated climate change. Large amounts of the Earth’s water supply are being used for material and agricultural production and waste is becoming a global problem. Waste isn’t just affecting the land, it is also harming our oceans. Greentumble.com reports that “it is estimated that over half of the plastic produced every year is single use – this means that it is used once, and then either thrown into landfill or finds its way into the environment”.
#3. Time to Move
Another opportunity to integrate the slow movement is to go outside and be active. I notice that when I am constantly busy running from one place to the next or watching Netflix, time flies by so fast! Because of this, I don’t feel like I have time left for anything else. When I set aside even just one hour a day to go for a walk or bike ride, I feel more energized and feel ready to take on the rest of the day. It is also helps my mental health and by the end of the outdoor time I don’t feel as stressed, and what seemed to be important to get done before doesn’t seem so critical after all. Other ways to incorporate the Slow Movement could be to take up stretching, meditating, yoga etc. Taking the time to move and be active can be a great way to integrate the Slow Movement into your life.
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I would LOVE to slow down aspects of my life. Lately I have been eating on the go a lot and have been watching a lot of TV. I think that instead of watching so much TV I can devote some time to enjoy the aspects of home cooking. I actually enjoy being in the kitchen with my husband, together we make some very tasty and healthy meals. Instead of wasting time to look up food on a menu, order it, pick it up, and drive back home to eat it, I could play some music and cook some home cooked meals. I can take my time with cooking and just enjoy the moment and then enjoy the food afterward. This plays into the “Slow Food” aspect of the Slow Movement.
Another thing I can do is limit my TV time and devote more time socializing. I notice that I have been watching TV to unwind and relax, when before I would read a book or spend time with family and friends. An easy way to slow down would be to limit my television time and devote an hour each day with my friends and family, or with my bulldog MacKenzie who is actually a lot of fun.
One last concrete thing I can do is to leave my phone behind. I actually tried this one day randomly and at first it made me nervous! It was a bit of a wake up call when I got nervous to go somewhere without my phone even though I was with three other people who did have their phones. I haven’t tried it since, but I think this is something I can easily do. I can leave my phone at home more often or out of sight and be more present in the moment. When I think about how often I go on my phone and computer or how much time I spend watching Netflix it’s crazy! So much of this time can be devoted to other aspects of my life, and I know this will open up more time to spend on other areas of my life to slow down.
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Part 2. Action
Investigate the chemicals in your personal care products. Use the product guide from the Environmental Working Group http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ to see how your products are rated for carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, etc.
Conditioner * REN pure: 4
Shampoo* Johnson’s Baby Shampoo: 4
SPF moisturizer *Everyday Coconut : 1
Body lotion* Green Beaver: 3
Body lotion* Carina Organics: 1
Foundation* Lauren Brooke: 1
Toothpaste *Sensodyne: 3
Toothpaste * Jason Sea Fresh Strengthening: 1
Deodorant *Every Man Jack Citrus: 4
Soap *Herbivore Bamboo Charcoal bar: 1
Mascara *Pacifica: 1-3
1: aqua, glycerin (vegetable), glyceryl stearate se, jojoba esters, tapioca starch, stearic acid ( vegetable), copernicia cerfera (carnauba) wax, euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax, arabic/acacia gum, acrylates, crosspolymer, potassium cetyl phosphate, microcrystalline cellulse (plant), cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, panthenol (vitamin b), cellulose gum, gluconolactone, macrocystis pyifera (brown kelp) extract, hydrolyzed oryza sativa (rice) protein; 2: iron oxides c1 77499; 3: sodium benzoate
Eyeliner *Pure Anada: 1-3
1: Octyldodlecyl Stearoyl Stearate (plant), Triglycerides, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Organic Sweet Almond) Oil, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Olus Oil, Candelilla Cera, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Oil, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Glyceryl Caprylate; 2: Mica , Iron Oxide; 3: Tocopheryl Acetate, Titanium Dioxide (C.I. 77499), Sorbic Acid. _____________________________________________________________________
Do an analysis of your purchases for one week. Record all products, food, beverages and services purchased over this period. Create screening criteria to categorize all items as “Good”, “Bad” or “Ugly”. The criteria is up to you, but must be justified. You may wish to consider factors such as: environmental impact, social impact, local or foreign, corporate or small business. Add up the dollar values spent in each category and reflect on where you would like to make changes – if any.
Good: local, environmentally friendly, fresh produce, small business.
Bad: good product but harmful packaging, mix between helpful and harmful ingredients/materials.
Ugly: unhealthy/junk food, harmful packaging, harmful ingredients/material.
Good: $71.33 // Bad: $54.5 // Ugly: $68.17
I would definitely would like to make a change to the “ugly” section. Most of this money was spent on take-out food that I have been getting this week. Take-out food comes with a lot of packaging and it is not made with the best/healthiest ingredients.
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Investigate the options and end fate of your household’s e-waste. Discuss where and how you will dispose of this waste and your future electronics purchase plans in relation to the waste they will one day become.
Currently we store all our e-waste on a shelf in a closet. In the future what we could do is drop them off at a collection site. I honestly had no idea what to do with my e-waste, but a quick google search brought me to recyclemyelectronics.ca and I found a full collection site within 2.36 km of my house! There were many collections sites within 10 km including 3 full collection sites. 
Consider your food system and the ways in which you can improve the sustainability the food that you consume and throw away. Are there ways to improve sustainability such as shopping locally, growing your own food or reducing your household’s food waste? Which options might suit your household and value system? Create a plan for one change that you think would improve the sustainability of your food system.
The best way to integrate improvements to my current food system would be to shop locally, plan our meals, and only buy what we need for the weekly meals.
I have started a Pinterest board with recipes and divided them into groups: breakfast, lunch/dinner, and snacks. I then went through each board and picked recipes for the week. Next I made a list of the ingredients I would need for those meals for the one week, and then at the grocery store I stuck to my list! I also went to local grocery stores for most of my groceries, and only went to the big chain grocery store for the few items I could not find at the smaller local shops.
This system will help me eat healthy, spend less money, and waste less.
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Part 3. In-class Blog Questions
Zoos:
What role, if any, should zoos play in conservation / education?
I think that zoos should solely be for conservation and rehabilitation purposes. I don’t think that zoos should be allowed to purchase animals and keep them in the zoo if it’s not for conservation and protection. When animals do need assistance from zoos I think it’s okay for people to come in and for zoos to provide education. But once the animal is rehabilitated, they should be released back into the wild. If it is not possible to reintroduce them into their natural habitat, then there should be adequate space provided and their living areas should be as close to their natural habitat as possible.
An in class discussion also brought up some good points though. One was: should nature be allowed to take its course without our involvement? I definitely think this is true, but I can see some benefits to conservation and protection, especially when it comes to endangered species. I also don’t have a problem with people coming in to help wild animals when needed. However, I definitely don’t think this is what zoos are doing. Zoos seem to be in it for the money and animals do not seem to be well cared for.
Is it ethical to keep animals in zoos? If so, what size / type of animal or zoo?
I don’t think any current zoos are ethical. If animals for whatever reason do need to be taken from their natural habitat for safety, conservation, or health reasons, then they should be provided spacious places to stay in that mimic their natural environments as much as possible, until they are ready to be released back into the wild.
An article from onegreenplanet.org highlights five species (elephants, tigers, chimpanzees, orcas, and dolphins) and their life in the wild versus their life in captivity. Life in the wild is very different from life in captivity and it has a huge impact on the animals health and well-being. There is actually a term called “zoochosis” because of the negative impacts that captive life in zoos have on these animals:
“The behaviors displayed by zoo animals range from pacing, to rocking and swaying, all the way to aggressive self-directed behavior like self-mutalation, over-grooming, and vomitting.”
It was also very sad learning in class that many mothers in zoos reject their offspring, or don’t know how to properly care for them. Animals aren’t meant to be caged up in small spaces with little to no socialization. Wild animals are meant to be wild.
Do you enjoy visiting zoos?
I used to enjoy visiting zoos until I realized the sad state many of the animals live in. Because of the ethical issue I don’t visit zoos anymore. I first realized the ethical issues with captive animals when I watched the documentary Blackfish. It opened my eyes to the issues of life in captivity for marine animals, and then I also looked into the issues of zoos as well.
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Food
Consider your food system:
What do you like about it?
I like that I eat plant-based, I usually make a lot of homemade food (not lately though), and I try to buy organic and local food as much as possible. I usually eat pretty healthy with a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. Lately, we’ve been busier than normal and have been lacking with variety though.
What do you dislike about it?
The amount of waste. Lately I have been so busy that I haven’t been planning my meals and then I end up buying food or making and wasting whatever food for that day. I also don’t like that I have stopped planning meals. Because of this I have been spending a lot more money on food and more specifically, on food that isn’t as healthy and produces more waste because of the packaging and portion sizes.
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Oceans
What are your primary concerns about the oceans?
My primary concerns about the oceans include aquatic life, biodiversity, and plastics. The ocean is such an essential part of the environment, not only is it beautiful and diverse, but it plays an important role in the ecosystem.
I am very concerned about aquatic life because of the human impact on the oceans from over-fishing, waste accumulation, climate change, and killing of large species.
I think the thing that bothers me the most is a type of fishing called bottom-trawlling. A term I learned about in class. 
“Bottom trawling is a type of fishing in which a large steel net is dragged across the ocean floor, catching millions of pounds of sea life per year, including anything from centuries-old coral to sea sponges that will likely not be used by humans. Trawling is a major contributor to sea-life exploitation; however, nothing has been done to stop or even limit it. The result is that marine organisms are quickly dying out…” –ipetitions.com
Earth: Our Common Future website has some interesting facts about coral reef damage and how we can limit this damage.
According to scientists, up to 12 million tons of plastic enters the ocean every year, forming giant floating garbage patches all over the world [5].
Below is a picture of a boy collecting plastic in the coastline in the Philippines: 
I found unlimited numbers of photos of garbage zones in the ocean. It’s actually extremely heart breaking to look at these photos. Especially the one’s of dead aquatic life filled with plastic and debris. There definitely needs to be change, and it needs to happen now!
What, if anything, do you plan to do about it?
This Christmas we donated money to organizations supporting ocean clean-ups, aquatic life advocacy groups, and ocean related NGOs. We also try to limit our plastic and harmful waste products. On facebook I post many videos about the oceans to try to bring awareness and fascination for it. Ideally, I would move to somewhere like Hawaii and make a career out of cleaning the oceans… but here in Winnipeg, I try to reduce my harmful impact as much as possible while also sharing the information I know.
Some great organizations I found include:
https://4ocean.com/collections/all-products
https://www.dolphinproject.com/about-us/history/
https://www.scubadiving.com/marine-conservation/list-non-profits-focused-marine-conservation
– Brittny Turner, 7649754: Environmental Science 2000, University of Manitoba, November 26, 2018.
References: all sources, pictures, and video links can be viewed by clicking on the picture or underlined portion of text.
Environmental Science 