ESTB03

Match better be better

What is circularity?

What is circularity?

Creating products with their own end-of-life in mind, to reduce waste and extend their use.

What is a sustainability mindset?

A sustainability mindset involves thinking and acting with a focus on understanding ecosystem manifestations, social sensitivity, and introspection of personal values aimed at benefiting the collective whole.

How does traditional sustainability education differ from a sustainability mindset?

Traditional sustainability education emphasizes external skills, behaviors, and knowledge, while a sustainability mindset also incorporates internal values, purpose, and shared narratives.

What is the role of creative innovation in sustainability?

Creative innovation combines human creativity and practical innovation, essential for addressing negative impacts on ecosystems and society, and emphasizes nonrational wisdom for resilience.

Why is emotional intelligence important in sustainability?

Emotional intelligence is crucial for making sustainable decisions and education in this field should foster both creativity and emotional intelligence, moving beyond purely analytical skills.

What sustainable practices are recommended for the fashion industry?

The fashion industry is urged to adopt eco-friendly materials, reduce resource usage, implement recycling, and respond to consumer demand for sustainable products.

What are the key challenges to sustainability in the fashion industry?

Key challenges include high costs, resistance to behavioral change, and the need for supply chain overhauls.

How do global supply chains impact the environment in the fashion industry?

Fashion industry supply chains are disintegrated and globally dispersed, which increases complexity and reduces transparency, using significant resources and predominantly managing waste through incineration or landfill.

What are the environmental impacts of water use and pollution in the fashion industry?

The fashion industry is a major water consumer, particularly in cotton production and textile processing, and a significant contributor to industrial water pollution.

How does the fashion industry contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and what are the strategies to reduce it?

The fashion industry is a substantial contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, especially in synthetic fiber production. Strategies to reduce this footprint include using renewable energy, efficient supply chains, and low-carbon materials.

What are the implications of textile waste in the fashion industry?

The fashion industry produces over 92 million tonnes of waste annually. Effective waste management and innovative recycling technologies are critical for achieving circularity.

How is land defined and what additional cultural dimensions does it have?

Land is defined as the solid part of the earth's surface not covered by water, with additional cultural definitions based on use, natural or political boundaries, and ownership.

What is the Indigenous perspective on land as explained by Jeannette Armstrong from the Okanagan?

Indigenous perspectives, like those of Jeannette Armstrong from the Okanagan, view land as involving dynamic processes and interactions that inform human interactions and community principles.

What does bioregionalism advocate for and what is the focus of the cradle-to-cradle concept?

Bioregionalism advocates for sustainable, culturally diverse societies within local bioregions, while cradle-to-cradle emphasizes recycling raw materials and using renewable energy.

What does the ecological footprint measure?

The ecological footprint measures the resources needed for human activities and their impact on land availability.

How does diet influence mental health and what specific diet is linked to cognitive benefits?

Diet significantly influences mental health, with whole foods potentially preventing and alleviating symptoms of depression. The Mediterranean diet is linked to lower rates of Alzheimer's and cognitive decline.

What role does the microbiome play in health?

The human microbiome, consisting of around 57% non-human cells, communicates with immune cells throughout the body and can affect the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and CNS function.

How does mending contribute to sustainability in fashion?

Mending extends the lifecycle of garments, reducing the need for new resources and minimizing waste. Key factors in deciding to mend or discard include the durability of the material and the garment's sentimental value.

What negative impacts does the fast fashion industry have?

The fashion industry's rapid production cycle contributes significantly to environmental degradation and poor labor conditions, exacerbated by the global scale of fast fashion.

How should educational settings implement creative innovation?

Educational settings should link resilience with innovation, value intuitive wisdom, and utilize art, experiential learning, and reflective practices to overcome linear thinking and self-limiting beliefs about creativity.

What are the proactive and reactive waste reduction strategies used in the fashion industry?

The fashion industry employs a mix of proactive (waste prevention) and reactive (recycling) strategies to reduce waste, focusing on optimizing design and manufacturing processes.

What are creative manufacturing practices in the fashion industry?

The industry is encouraged to creatively use offcuts to reduce virgin material use and emissions and to embrace innovations and circular economy principles for enhanced sustainability.

Why is fast fashion considered a wicked problem?

Fast fashion is characterized as a complex system with significant environmental impacts, requiring iterative, adaptive strategies to address its multifaceted challenges.

What is the traditional definition of land?

Land traditionally encompasses ground, territories, boundaries, politically-determined spaces, ownership or possession, mapping, and its function or economic use.

What is the significance of land in the context of South Africa?

In South Africa, the concept of land includes the idea of cultivation and emphasizes the importance of caring for and by the land.

What are some commonly overlooked aspects in traditional definitions of land?

Care and stewardship for land, reciprocity and sustainability in land use, relationships with other creatures, and dependency on land for survival and a sense of home are often overlooked in conventional definitions.

What does reflection and oneness with nature advocate for?

Advocacy for mindfulness and recognition of one's part in nature, promoting informed actions and long-term planning based on personal and collective experiences.

What arguments exist for hope in sustainability?

Crises can inspire compassion, innovation, and resilience, with enhanced global awareness and communication fostering cooperation over competition, and political and social changes achievable with sufficient intellectual and willful efforts.

What are the challenges in art conservation, as illustrated by the Eva Hesse case?

Challenges in conserving artworks made from industrial, degradable materials highlight broader sustainability and safety practices in various fields, with discussions on museum and conservator responses to artwork degradation.

What concerns are associated with the business of botanicals and the regulation of herbal medicine?

Concerns about the content and regulation of herbal medicine, with discussions on tracing herbal product origins, significant discrepancies in label accuracy, and risks associated with outsourced production.

How can a diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins affect mental health?

A diet rich in these foods can improve overall mood and reduce symptoms of depression.

How does poor diet contribute to inflammation and mental health issues?

A poor diet can raise inflammation levels, which in turn increases the risk of conditions like depression and anxiety.

What were the results of the SMILES trial?

Findings from the "Supporting the Modification of lifestyle in Lowered Emotional States" trial showed that a diet intervention led to a 32% improvement in depression symptoms, underscoring the efficacy of dietary improvements in treating depression.

How do food preferences connect to cultural, nutritional, and landscape factors?

Food preferences are linked to cultural, nutritional, and landscape factors, with highly processed foods disrupting natural dietary needs.

What are the benefits of foraging and local eating?

Foraging benefits well-being, dietary diversity, and nutrient intake, while local and seasonal eating enhances community support and reduces environmental impacts.

What are the different textile waste management and recycling processes?

Textile waste management involves mechanical, chemical, and thermal recycling processes, each with its own limitations and potentials. Improved waste management practices and innovative recycling technologies are crucial for enhancing industry circularity.

How do Bronze Age textile-making techniques relate to sustainability?

Techniques from the Bronze Age, such as plain weaving and twining using natural bast fibers, illustrate the diversity and sustainability of ancient textile-making methods, emphasizing the importance of preserving craftsmanship and ecological wisdom.

What can historical insights into textile making teach us about modern sustainability?

Historical use of natural fibers and ancient techniques points to modern possibilities for using sustainable, less polluting materials in textile production, thus enhancing cultural richness and ecological respect.

How has the commercialization of weaving affected gender roles in textile production?

Traditionally, textile making was often a female-dominated activity, but the commercialization of weaving brought significant shifts, often relegating women to less valued roles as the industry scaled.

How does the experience in a weaving workshop compare to working in a garment factory?

Comparisons between the controlled, educational environment of a weaving workshop and the fast-paced, often unsafe conditions in garment factories highlight significant disparities in pace of work, technical skills and safety, social context and agency, and economic reliance.

What does the term "land" encompass in various contexts according to the course?

The term "land" can evoke thoughts of land use such as forestry, mining, or agriculture; landforms such as coasts, islands, or mountains; landscapes like woodlands, savannas, or prairies; Indigenous peoples’ land rights; the history of places; and planning zones and urbanization.

How does the course illustrate the sensory and personal connections to land?

In the course, "land" may also represent materials like clay, sand, and soil; real estate; sensory experiences like sounds, smells, and textures while walking on land; the taste of land in food; or a sense of peace and contentment.

What principles guide the sustainability mindset in the course?

The sustainability mindset in the course is guided by principles such as ecoliteracy, interconnectedness, reflection, self-awareness, purpose, empathy, long-term thinking, and ecosystems-based and place-based learning, along with curiosity and creativity.

How does the course aim to develop students' sustainability thinking skills?

The course aims to develop sustainability thinking skills through engagement with everyday objects and places, expanding understanding of land through in-depth conversations, readings, and lectures.

What are the course objectives related to conceptions of "land"?

The course objectives include understanding various conceptions of "land" and relating them to sustainable development issues such as equity, extraction, care, conflict, and environmental perception.

What sustainable development issues are explored in the course in relation to "land"?

The course explores how different conceptions of "land" relate to sustainable development issues including power, resource allocation, technology, distribution, rights, economy, earth, planet, food, water, energy, biodiversity, and textiles.