Green Photography

Photographic Art presents several environmental challenges as well as opportunities to raise environmental awareness.

For Earth Week, we’re going to explore some of these, so that we know how to be “part of the solution, not the part of the problem”.

Ed Burtynsky: Hand-melting of circuit boards from discarded cameras and computers

Screen capture, minute 24 of video at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/56

Overview (also read What to Do, below)

You will be assigned a small group and a topic.

Research your topic on the net, collecting information, quotes and relevant graphics.

Create a short Powerpoint presentation to share what you’ve found with the class.

Your group will have about 5-10 minutes to present your findings.

Time: two periods, or less if you finish working…

Specifics

Groups & Topics *See Details about Topics further below

Topic	Researchers
Disposing of Fixer – Down the Drain?	Leslie J, Lauren E, Christie M, Rebecca K
Can Photo Paper be Recycled? And/Or Is It Safe to Not to Use Tongs for Developing?	Tyler H, Mike DR, Nick F

Are Used Cameras Hazardous Waste?	Zach H, Shelby K, Bailli J, Amber B, (Amber H)
What Happens to Dead Batteries?	Lisa T, Nigel W, Jordana P, Grace K
Are There Photographers who Raise Environmental Awareness?	Lauren H, Laurel J, Kyle S, Emma L, (Kathleen M)

What to Do

Stay with your group, with one or two computers between you. Appoint one trustworthy person in whose login your material will be collected. You may log in to another computer for searching, but collect all the info on one login. Allow space for other groups – work it out!
Read the topic details below, including the questions. Discuss what it means, and possible approaches.
Brainstorm search terms and feed them into Google e.g. fixer disposal, toxicity of photo paper, darkroom cancer, recycling circuit boards, environmental photography. These are just suggestions – use your own ideas!
Don’t just take the first website found – explore, and search for and link to other sites suggested by your finds
Make a folder named Green Photography. Save jpegs there, and also start a Powerpoint file
Cut and paste quotes, facts, statistics and images into slides in Powerpoint (or Word if you want to collect it there first). Also cut and paste the URLs and names of sources.
Once you feel you have enough material, talk about what you’ve found. What are the main points? What will make it interesting for viewers? Rearrange your material and add titles, text etc. to make a good 5-10 minute presentation. Do NOT add time-consuming effects like slow fly-in text!
Discuss how you will present it. All group members must share the speaking. Try not to just read what you’ve written; summarize, make it personal; ask the audience questions.

Topic	Details: Questions, Suggestions for Searches etc.
Disposing of Fixer – Down the Drain?	We dump moderate amounts of used diluted fixer down the drain. What’s in it? Is it harmful at these concentrations? (Where? To what/whom?) Is there a viable recovery process? Should we use it? What might this cost? Is there debate on this issue?
Can Photo Paper be Recycled?	I’ve told you not to put used photo paper in the White box. Is this in fact the right policy? What’s in it that might be toxic? What harm could this cause? Could it be recycled in the white box? If not, is there any other recycling or reclamation process? If it goes to landfill (it does!), is it possible that toxic chemicals could leach out over time? Is that okay? Could you burn it in an incinerator?
Is It Safe to Not to Use Tongs for Developing?	Lots of photo developers use their bare hands, since tongs are harder to grab the paper from the trays with, and might scratch or damage the paper. What chemicals are in developer and fixer? Are they absorbing significant amounts through their skin? What are the possible short and long term effects of these chemicals? Is a little bit of skin exposure okay? Has anyone done studies on the health risks of photo lab workers? Do they have higher cancer rates, for instance?
Are Used Cameras Hazardous Waste?	Cameras are similar to computers in that they contain circuit boards and computer chips. They don’t last forever, and most people just toss them in the garbage. Should they be considered hazardous waste? What kinds of toxic metals and other toxins might be in them? Should the plastic and metal parts be recycled? Do companies that recycle computer parts do it safely? (See if you can find info on how this is done by hand in the 3^rd world – I’ve seen a couple of scary documentaries and news reports on this topic)
What Happens to Dead Batteries?	Digital cameras eat batteries! Is it okay to toss dead non-rechargeable AA batteries in the garbage? What about rechargeables when they eventually don’t work? What heavy metals and other toxins are in them? What are the effects on human health and ecosystems that they might leach into? Are there effective recycling programs available?
Are There Photographers who Raise Environmental Awareness?	Lots of photographers take pictures of nature. But are there some who specialize in raising Environmental Awareness, either by documenting problems in the environment or some other form of art involving photography? Check out the work of Ed Burtynsky; find others. Copy some of the images into your Powerpoint. Keep track of photographer’s names and website URLs (just copy & paste them) of where images and/or video links came from. Do not confuse “Art about Environmental Concerns” with “Environmental Art”. The latter is not what you want here, although it’s great art! Try to find artists working for change, not just gloomy pictures!