Curatorial team: Monika Brauntsch, Dorota Kabała Substantive and production co-operation: Michał Piasecki Exhibition design: Studio Talk Visual identification: Sabina Samulska
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Designing exhibitions also affects the natural environment.
The average temperature on Earth is currently higher than at the end of the 19th century by 0.85°C. Since measurements began in 1850, each of the last three decades has been warmer than the previous one. The main cause of warming is human activity. Under the Paris Agreement of 2015, the first ever legally binding climate treaty and signed by 195 countries, an action plan was adopted to protect our planet by limiting global warming to below 2°C. We are only that far, and perhaps even less, from ecological disaster. And yet, a legally binding agreement remains only an ambitious plan. Most of the parties did not take steps to fulfil their commitments.
would certainly have a greater impact. However, we hope that bottom-up pressure will help implement the provisions of the climate agreement.
ASSUMPTIONS OF THE EXHIBITION Designing exhibitions also affects the natural environment. Designers of exhibitions, trade fair stands or events bear responsibility for the resources used. The exhibition was designed to limit the materials used - a large part of them are recycled waste or materials from other exhibitions.
Meanwhile, human activity, largely fueled by excessive and unjustified consumption, has an increasing impact on the environment. Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels are the main cause of climate change. Another important factor is direct interference in the biosphere through the cutting down of rainforests, as well as animal husbandry. The maintenance of the internet also results in increasing CO2 emission. As part of the exhibition, we look at the main causes of climate change, as well as examples of products and solutions designed to protect the environment. Through specific tips, we encourage everyone to examine their lifestyle. We also provide references to publications or websites that can be helpful. We are aware that changing individual habits will not cause a revolution – and changes in legislation
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1. NATURAL ENVIRONMENT Nature, together with its rich resources, is a natural environment in which our species exists. At the same time, human activity is the main cause of environmental degradation: the result of industrial development, expansive human activity and excessive consumption causes the contamination of nature and the extinction of other species.
- t he nature maintains the ecosystem, provides food and natural resources - the forest collects water reserves, provides clean air, prevents the erosion of soils, stores CO2 - seas and oceans produce 50% of the available oxygen -d eforestation is responsible for 20% of global CO2 emissions - 1 4% of the Baltic consists of dead zones – the result of municipal and industrial pollution - t he population of wild animals has decreased by 58% in 50 years – in the scientific world it’s called the sixth mass extinction of animals - more and more species no longer lives in the natural environment
- Air-cleaning plants - according to NASA this set of plants will clean the air in your home: Spathiphyllum Sansevieria Chrysanthemum Ivy Common Anthurium Epipremnum Złociste Fern - TAMO - made from wood sourced from FSC certified forests - it ensures that the forest is managed in a sustainable way www.tamo.net.pl - 100% recycled paper - Brush It On - bamboo toothbrushes; 100% of their profits go directly to organisations that protect the world’s oceans, forests, and wildlife www.brushiton.org
AMAZON RAINFOREST
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-c utting trees, agriculture and animal husbandry shrink forests dramatically - it is a threat to the species and indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon as well as the entire planet
- support the environment www.wwf.pl/zaangazuj-sie
is crucial to Earth’s climate - it absorbs CO2 is responsible for 20% of global oxygen supply supplies 2/3 of the fresh water of the world is home to about half of existing plant and animal species
- sign the petition! https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/pl/amazon_corridor_loc/
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HUMAN ACTIVITY
How to save water?
Living, eating, transportation, tourism, as well as using the Internet all affect the environment. In this section, we show examples of solutions that can limit this negative impact. Most of them are available to everyone and don’t cost anything but a change in habits. Some products are investments that are more beneficial to nature but also generate savings in the household. In any case, the ecoapproach to living can be not only better for the environment; with a little effort it can also be much cheaper and better for our peace of mind.
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2. LIVING
check and fix the water leaks in your house install single-lever batteries choose eco programs in your washing machine and dishwasher take a shower instead of a bath re-use your water turn off the water while brushing teeth and shaving
- Solace house - the first Polish energy-efficient prefabricated house - the cost with photovoltaics is PLN 150,000 www.solace.house - Croma shower set with EcoSmart technology reduces water consumption www.hansgrohe.pl
- r enewable energies - wind, solar energy, tidal waves and geothermal energy are the natural resources of the earth and do not run out
-P oland is among the most polluted countries in Europe (according to World Air Quality Report 2018) - high levels of pollution result from the consumption of coal and wood, burned in households -P M2.5 dust is so small that it can get into the lungs or even into the bloodstream or brain - t he most common toxic substances are benzopyrenes – mainly from domestic furnaces - air pollution is responsible for 7 million premature deaths worldwide - turn off the light when leaving the room, replace your lighting with LEDs, use natural lighting if possible - turn off the appliances when you’re not using them - do not put warm meals in the fridge, cook with a lid - air the room intensively, but briefly -w hen buying household appliances, check their energy efficiency - do not cover heaters, do not heat unused rooms - join the anti-smog initiatives in your town
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3. EATING
4. COSMETICS AND CLEANING
Meat:
-a bout 9 million tons of food is wasted annually in Poland - every year, about 88 million tons of food worth 143 billion EUR are thrown out in the European Union - food products also generate huge amounts of garbage and plastic - according to the Guardian a million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute
- 1 8 % of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from cattle breeding -c lose to a quarter of terrestrial land areas are used to graze cattle and about one-third of arable land is used for food cultivation that feeds livestock - forests are cut down for grazing and feeding cattle - the methane released by animals contributes to an increase in the greenhouse effect - breeding the animals brings about their suffering
- do not waste food - choose products in packaging that do not generate a lot of extra garbage - limit your consumption of meat
-W ater bottles RETAP and Rugs’y help to save tons of plastic a year. Available @ www.mojabutelka.pl -Y uhme is a bottle made from sugarcane, CO2 negative, BPA and toxin free. Available @ www.mojabutelka.pl - Bee wax wrap (DIY) - an alternative to breakfast paper -K ooperatywa „Dobrze” - an innovative social enterprise from Warsaw which aims to increase access to healthy food in a sustainable and responsible manner www.dobrze.waw.pl
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- substances contained in cosmetics may be toxic to humans and living organisms - the excess of phosphorus causes eutrophication – water blooming - detergents do not decompose; they are difficult to remove from wastewater - the biochemical degradation of surfactants oxygen is consumed, which deepens the oxygen deficit of waters - the packaging and cosmetics’ wastes generate tons of trash
-u se natural cleaning products and cosmetics, pay attention to their packaging and the way they are made - replace washing powders and liquids with soap nuts or soapwort - use natural products such as vinegar, citric acid, soda and lemon for cleaning - reduce! if in one day every Polish home or office will give up one drop of cleaning products or cosmetics, 2,000 liters of detergents less will end up in the sewage
- Cztery Szpaki - cosmetics based on natural ingredients, in minimalistic packages www.4szpaki.pl - “Przyjaciel Natury” - 100% recycled toilet paper www.przyjacielnatury.pl - Balja - environmentally friendly and safe for human ecological cleaning products, created with ingredients of plant origin www.balja.pl - Soap nuts - a natural detergent and washing agent - Miswak - a stick from branches of the arak tree is an alternative to a toothbrush; it has antibacterial properties, refreshes the breath, contains organic compounds, whitens teeth - Common soapwort (saponaria officinalis) - natural alternative to soap, shampoo and detergents
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5. CLOTHING AND SPORTS
6. TRAVELING AND TRANSPORT
- t he clothing industry ranks as the second largest industry in environmental pollution (after oil concerns) - this is influenced by long supply chains, overproduction, as well as the seasonality of fashion
- r epair damaged clothes -u se second-hand shops and exchange initiatives instead of buying new clothes - s earch for clothes made from certified ecological materials
-N ago is a responsible fashion brand, focusing on organic materials, waste reduction, and timeless and classic designs www.nago.store -T eneqa 700 by Cumulus is one of the lightest and most constructionally advanced winter sleeping bags, filled with ethically sourced goose down. On Black Friday, the company Cumulus carried out a repair action - „Do not buy!”, offering free repair of all its products www.cumulus.pl -P atagonia R1® Lite Yulex® wetsuit, made of renewable Yulex natural rubber - tapped from certified hevea trees; it replaces conventional, nonrenewable neoprene – thus, CO2 emissions are reduced by up to 80% in the manufacturing process. Available @ www.daseapeople.com
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- according to the UNWTO organisation, 1,322 billion tourist travels took place in 2017 - tourism involves not only the carbon impact associated with traveling, but also direct interference with the natural environment - tourism’s share in the degradation of nature is estimated at 5-7% (industry’s share is 40%, agriculture is 15%) - linear emissions (cars) are the main cause of air contamination with PM10 particulates in cities aviation is responsible for 3.6% of carbon dioxide emissions in the EU - the CO2 emission from one Boeing 747 within 24 hours = 250 cars for a year - in Europe, 45% of flights take place at a distance of less than 500 km, which can be traveled by train the hope is to decarbonise aviation by using alternative fuels, such as biofuels - most flights are because of tourist traffic - the use of biofuels would translate into a 58-percent increase in ticket prices, which could limit tourist traffic
- t ravel independently and responsibly - do not travel by plane if it is not necessary, use train instead - use public transport or a bicycle in the city
- Slowhop website promots independent, local tourism www.slowhop.com - check your carbon footprint at CO2 emission calculator www.carbonfootprint.com
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7. PLASTIC
8. INTERNET
-e very year 8 million tons of plastic waste goes to the seas and oceans - every minute the amount of plastic from one garbage truck goes into the sea. - in 2014, the mass ratio of plastic to fish in seas was 1:5. - many marine organisms die as a result of eating plastic garbage -m any species of fish that we eat contain undigested remnants of microplastics - just in Poland, 3 million plastic straws are used daily -o pt out of disposables, use your own shopping bag - choose products whose packaging contains the least amount of plastic - limit cosmetics and food with plastic packaging - do not buy water in plastic bottles, buy your own water bottle - l imit disposable packaging - buy coffee on site, not take-out, choose ice cream in a cone, not a plastic cup, give up plastic straws
-B iotrem - disposable dishes made from wheat bran www.biotrem.pl - r Cup by Ashortwalk – a reusable cup, made from recycled paper coffee cups www.ashortwalk.com -N ot just bamboo - bamboo bottles and organic straws, made of one piece of bamboo available at mojabutelka.pl -P lastic revolution - products printed with 3D technology from used plastic www. facebook.com/PlastikowaRewolucja/
- there are 4 billion users of the Internet - data transfer is based on millions of physical servers and the infrastructure that connects them, driven by coal, requiring maintenance and cooling - the Internet will have an increasing impact on our environment - it is estimated that more than 200 trillion emails are sent every day (according to the Radicati Group report) - email with 1MB attachment = 19 g of C02 - The Internet of Things - TVs, refrigerators, kettles, alarm and lighting systems, as well as the management of means of transport will generate more and more data consumption - only 13-15% of the internet is powered by energy from renewable sources - in 2015, CO2 emissions related to the functioning of the Internet caused the same emission of data as the global aviation industry.- by 2030, CO2 emissions are expected to increase by 50% for the aerospace industry and 300% for the internet respectively - the use of the internet also involves the use of devices that affect our behavior, well-being and our way of communicating - tens of millions of smartphones contain substances harmful to the environment, are thrown away worldwide and most of them can not be repaired - limit the number and size of emails sent, unsubscribe from unwanted newsletters - limit time spent on the internet, on facebook or instagram - one Google search = 5-7 g CO2 - do not store data on online servers
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- Fairphone - the world’s first ethical, modular smartphone www.fairphone.com - Shiftphone is a modular, easy to repair smartphone www.shiftphone.com
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9. LESS The main factor affecting the environment is excessive consumption, which for many has become a way of life. Profit-oriented corporations are using all means to sell more. The desire to own does not arise from a need, we are thoughtlessly following these fashions, buying clothes that we get rid of after one season. We change equipment because a new model comes out, and take exclusive holidays in resorts that ruin nature and the lives of local communities. We buy plastic -wrapped food that we throw away after a few days, which is a waste of natural resources, human labor and manufactured goods that is typical of highly-developed countries. A consumer lifestyle means that we are moving further away from the natural environment. The exhibition touches important environmental issues only slightly. However, we hope that it will inspire us to change and live with a greater respect for nature.
We encourage you to implement, today, at least one of the solutions proposed at the exhibition. Write down your decision on a piece of paper, put it here, make a change today.
RELAXATION ZONE: We invite you to our chill out zone. You can relax here and browse the books about ecology and consumption from Czarne, Karakter and Znak publishing houses. www.czarne.com.pl www.karakter.pl www.znak.com.pl
SOURCES:
www.wwf.pl www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/nauka/1673840,1,krowy-maja-wiekszy-wplyw-na-klimat-niz-samochody-z-dwoch-
FOR CHILDREN
powodow.read www.ziemianarozdrozu.pl/encyklopedia/54/transport-lotniczy
A special game-guide to the exhibition, as well as books on the ecology of Dwie Siostry Publishing House for the kids! www.wydawnictwodwiesiostry.pl
www.smoglab.pl/od-katastrofy-dzieli-nas-mniej-niz-sadzimy/ www.wyborcza.pl/7,155287,24106944,lotnictwo-truje-coraz-bardziej-milionowe-oplaty-za-emisje-dwutlenku.html www.green-projects.pl/zanieczyszczenie-plastikiem-globalny-problem/ www.zyjmyeko.pl/dlaczego-detergenty-sa-niebezpieczne-dla-srodowiska/