GREEN IS BEAUTIFUL®: the aesthetic side of ecology
Ile-de-France
The social and solidarity-based economy has already proved that it is possible to be ethical and fair while at the same time meeting the economic requirements of the marketplace. GREEN IS BEAUTIFUL® shows us that being ecologically-aware and up-to-the-minute can go hand in hand.
GREEN IS BEAUTIFUL® is a collective made up of artists, journalists, environmental scientists and communication professionals. Founded by photographer Laure Maud in October 2005, its aim is to promote, from an aesthetic and poetic perspective, a more responsible form of development based on a sustainable lifestyle that respects natural resources and the human being.
This is an original experiment that enables a balance to be struck between three different approaches to environmental issues: aesthetic (in order to foster an emotional bond with the environment), scientific (by disseminating a knowledge of environmental issues) and ethical (from the point of view of environmental protection and fair development).
Commitment for the benefit of a new form of humanism
Participation in the ethical debate, like upholding the principles of sustainable and fair development, is bound up with a project for the future of society, and GREEN IS BEAUTIFUL® is committed to a social responsibility approach. Noting that the aesthetic and the poetic are powerful communication tools that are too often lacking in the promotion of environmentally friendly activities, the collective wishes to develop a new form of communication based on a clear visual language and poetic illustrations. This new form of communication will have to raise awareness and give a new boost to the debate by restoring the possibility of dreaming of another possible world.
At the same time, this approach is accompanied by a wish to make scientific and environmental information more accessible and comprehensible to as many people as possible. The collective is developing its website into a content platform that will enable artists, designers, scientists and journalists to meet, exchange information and views and propose clear and comprehensive ideas accessible to the general public.
The bimonthly webzine primarily serves this purpose. The two issues already published reach thousands of readers. A contemporary poetic and aesthetic identity, a scientific approach relevant to present concerns and the provision of information on all aspects of ethical fashion and natural cosmetics make it a publication that is not only able to appeal to environmental activists but also to the public at large.
GREEN IS BEAUTIFUL® proves to us that there is strength in unity: the publication aspires to excellence, both with respect to the "container" and its contents.
With around fifteen members, each specialising in a different field and with their own professional identity, the collective provides a complete range of services, which are mainly intended for companies. Its expertise lies in the visual world (photography, the graphic arts, illustration, art direction, spaces and events); the virtual world (web design, referencing, web development, systems and network administration, conception and network architecture, web integration, technical advice and choice of personalised equipment) and the world of the written and spoken word (journalism, advice on eco-communication).
The collective also offers to plan eco-designed, ethical, festive and aesthetic events.
A first study day in fact took place at the Sorbonne on 26 May 2007 in collaboration with IHPST (Institut d'Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et des Techniques ? Université Paris I), with the support of the Happy Green association and in partnership with the WWF and Greenpeace.
On the theme of "ecology and the influence of scientific research in art and society", the aim of the event was to bring together individuals concerned about ecological issues: researchers, company staff and individuals from the voluntary sector and the world of the arts. It consisted of three consecutive workshops: the first on scientific ecology, the second on ethics and the third on aesthetics. For each one, three speakers representing the academic world, the corporate sector and NGOs gave a 30-minute talk and the workshop was concluded with a round table with the audience. This presented an opportunity to bring together people involved in the various professional fields who, in the final analysis, know little about one another and still do not exchange sufficient information.
Reference was also made to the fact that there is a certain reticence on the part of the academic and scientific world, especially as regards the field of fashion, which is considered too superficial to be part of such a debate. GREEN IS BEAUTIFUL® explains, however, how important it is by pointing to the major ecological factors involved: cotton is the most polluting crop in the world as it alone uses up 24% of the pesticides sold worldwide even though it only takes up 2.4% of the world's agricultural land. Moreover, the living conditions of farmers and textile workers in developing countries are among the most scandalous to be found anywhere.
GREEN IS BEAUTIFUL® itself operates like an eco-system: it remains flexible, free and dynamic, with everyone complementing one another and working according to the ideas they already had before they joined. Ultimately, the collective sees itself as an oikos, a group with shared values, an environment and its own dynamic development.
