Eco friendly artist could make a visual statement, which forces the viewer to pay attention to something ecological that may otherwise be overlooked. Or it could be a material one, with eco friendly media employed instead of traditional oil paints.

I think this is very important for artist because artists are using their works and art to promote how to protect the environment and I think is it an effective solution because I think a work with visual effects can attract a lot of people to watch and resonate with them.

So far, I have found this topic to be a very profound one, and the tutor also gave me many examples in class.

I think this topic is very clear and I also have a research direction.

I think the graphic design I have learned can make some interesting posters and art installations for sustainable development.

This is a very challenging project for me because I need to start from scratch to select the information I need.

My current idea is to research an artist, but I don’t know if I can stick to it. If I have any questions, I think I will ask the tutor or I think I can combine my previous research because the brand I studied in PS2 is also a sustainable development company.

2, If I had a bike , I’d fix old bikes instead of selling new ones.

3, If I made clothes, I would use old fabrics to create new ones.

4, If I designed socks, I'd make mismatched pairs so people wouldn't throw them away.

5, If I created shopping bags，I would use soluble material.

6, If I were a game designer, I would promote a lot about environmental protection.

7, If I were an artist, I would design a lot of visually striking posters about protecting the oceans.

8, If I were a fashion designer, I would use environmentally friendly materials to make clothes.

9, If I have a lot of coffee beans, I will use it as fertilizer to grow plants.

10, If I designed urban landscapes, I would weave vertical forests into apartment buildings to clean the city air and cool the streets.

2, Textile and clothing industry

3, But T-shirt for second-hand store or reduce use washing machine

4, 1 T-shirt one year need use 2.700 liters water.

5, If I only buy white t-shirts and buy some second -hand clothes maybe I can protect little environment.

6, Ask yourself if you need it before buying

Because everyone has different majors and research directions, I heard a lot of interesting things, and they also gave me a lot of help and suggestions.

With the help and guidance of my group classmates, I also confirmed my topic and direction, so in the future I plan to improve and familiarize myself with my PS1 as soon as possible.

Background: Released in 1970.

Joni saw the beautiful nature of Hawaii being replaced by buildings and parking lots. This made her sad and inspired the song.

People love this song. It is well known for its environmental message.

Sustainability Issues: Nature being destroyed for cities ("They paved over paradise to build parking lots").

Harmful chemicals in agriculture ("Hey, farmers, put the DDT away now").

Artist's Note:People don't realize how precious nature is until it's gone ("You don't know what you have until it's gone").

We should protect trees and clean air.

Mood: Happy sounding music but with sad words. It's like a warning wrapped in a catchy tune.

My Take: A classic song that's easy to remember. It makes you think about protecting green spaces.

2. "Seeds" by Aurora

Background: Released in 2019. AURORA cares deeply about nature. She was inspired by Native American ideas about respecting the earth. Young people especially like this song because of its climate message.

Sustainability Issue: Humans act as if they "own" nature.

Money can't save us if the earth perishes ("You can't eat money"). Artist's Message: We are part of nature, not its bosses ("We are seeds"). If we harm the earth, we harm ourselves.

Mood: Mysterious and powerful. It feels urgent, like a call to action.

My take: Strong and emotional. The line "You can't eat money" is very striking.

Comparison (two songs)

Both songs talk about protecting nature, but in different ways: "Big Yellow Taxi" (1970) is about parks and trees being taken away by cities. It sounds cheerful, but has a sad message.

"Seeds" (2019) is about humans needing to respect the earth. It sounds serious and spiritual. Joni Mitchell's song shows nature being destroyed ("Paved Paradise"). AURORA's song warns that if nature dies, humans will suffer ("We Can't Eat Gold").

Both agree: nature is more important than money.

How I researched:

Read about Joni Mitchell's trip to Hawaii.

Watched an interview where she explained "Seeds".

Checked out the song information on a music website.

More than 1,000 tonnes of discarded clothing from the UK and Europe pour into Ghana every week. Up to 40% of this is low-quality waste, dumped in protected wetlands such as the Ramsar-listed Dansu Delta. Synthetic fibres clog rivers, bury beaches and are illegally burned, poisoning ecosystems that are home to endangered turtles and birds.

Community impacts:

Fishermen like Seth Tete find their nets filled with clothes instead of fish. Water sources have become “black and dirty”, destroying livelihoods and health. Vendors are handed bales of unsellable rags, trapping them in waste-induced poverty.

Suggested solutions:

Extended producer responsibility (EPR): Force brands to fund waste management. If this law is enforced, it could have an effect. Build recycling infrastructure: H&M says Ghana lacks such a system. International investment needed. Brand accountability? Although Primark and M&S deny dumping waste, investigations prove their clothing pollutes Ghana. Brands blame export loopholes and Ghana’s infrastructure rather than reducing overproduction or ensuring quality.

Actions Required:

UK/EU Law: Ban the export of textile waste and enforce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

Brand Transparency: Trace clothing from factory to landfill.

Global Investment: Fund recycling factories in Ghana.

Quality Standards: Stop the export of “disposable” fashion products.

Reference：

Jordan, L. and Anane, M. (2025)

But I felt that my oral performance last week was very bad. I don’t know why. I am very dissatisfied with my oral performance in the past two weeks, which makes me very anxious.

I think this is a very bad feeling, because speaking less will not make any progress in my English speaking, and it will also prevent me from making more friends in class, so I think I need to work hard to improve this and try to speak more in class and group discussions.

I think that in the future class I can overcome my anxiety and fear of speaking more. I want to give myself a goal. I must complete my thoughts in group discussions and try to answer Jamie’s questions once in class.

What impressed me most today was Flint's presentation. Her PPT had a very good visual effect. Each point was well organized and easy to understand. I want to ask Flint how to make a good PPT and how to collect information before making a PPT next time.

In class, the teacher talked about two techniques, one is design features, and the other is practical techniques. I feel that both of them are very important. We don't need too many photos on our posters. We just need to be simple, contain key points and relevant content. We need obvious guidance, use titles and subtitles. I think I need to improve and learn this. We need to have contrast, and the background of photos and texts needs to be very obvious. Organization and layout are also important. We need to keep it neat and have some blank space.

I think in the future I need to think carefully about how to make my posters. Every time I make a poster, I need to reflect on what the teacher said in class, which can help me improve my posters.

Writing academic essay made me curious because it was all new to me. I had to learn step by step. With the teacher’s help in class, group talks, and PCA videos after class, I finished a full paper, which made me very happy. But I’m also worried about future essay, so I need to keep checking the writing format to remember it well.

English and Chinese academic papers are very different, especially in how ideas are organized and structured, which is a big challenge for me. Right now, I understand what to write in each part and how to cite sources correctly. I hope to improve my papers in the future, making them faster, clearer, and better.

Later, I plan to look back at my past papers and find ways to make them better.