Slideshow accompanying a paper that describes a how graphic design can support ecological literacy. Starting with a brief introduction to ecological literacy and a proposal that communication design must join the crisis disciplines in responding to predicaments in the earth science, the paper argues that within an increasingly visual culture, visual intelligence can support the development of new perceptual capabilities potentially leading to relational ways of knowing. Graphic design can facilitate emergent ecological literacy and ecological perception by displaying context, causality and complexity. Graphic design can thus nurture the development of ecological manners of thought by strategically constructing visual resources to encourage ecological perception. Download the paper that this slideshow is based on here: http://eco-labs.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=32&Itemid=108

1. The Visual Communication of
Ecological Literacy
Jody Joanna Boehnert
EcoLabs &
AHRC funded doctoral candidate
University of Brighton
December 2011
www.eco-labs.org

2. Contents
1. Ecological Literacy in Theory and Practice
2. Communication Design as a Crisis Discipline
3. Visual Cultures
4. Visual Literacy, Intelligence and Language
4. Making the Invisible Visible:
Context, Causality and Complexity
www.eco-labs.org

3. 1
Ecological Literacy
in Theory and Practice
www.eco-labs.org

4. www.eco-labs.org

5. www.eco-labs.org

6. ecological literacy
“All education is environmental education. By what is included
or excluded, emphasized or ignored, students learn that they
are part of or apart from the natural world. Through education
we inculcate the ideas of careful stewardship or carelessness”
(Orr 1992, 90).
An understanding of the ‘principles of organization’ of
ecological systems. (Capra 2002, 201).
Critical eco-literacy is linked to cultural literacy for a more robust
analysis of the connections between social and ecological systems
(Kahn 2010, 66).
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7. 2
Communication Design
as a Crisis Discipline?
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8. 3
Visual Cultures
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9. Visual Culture
‘The effects of technology do not occur at the level of opinions or concepts, but alter sense
ratios or patterns of perception steadily and without any resistance’ McLuhan 2001[1964]:290.
Douglas Rushkoff’s Map of Media Power over Time. Rushkoff’s visualization of historical changes in
social communications. Source: Douglas Rushkoff
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10. 4
Visual Literacy,
Visual Intelligence
and Visual Language
www.eco-labs.org

11. 5
Making the Invisible Visible:
Context, Causality
and Complexity
www.eco-labs.org

12. World Finance Corporation and Associates. ca. 1970-84: Miami, Ajman, and Bogata-Caracus (Brigada 2506: Cuban Antri-Castro Bay of Pigs
www.eco-labs.org Veteran. 7th edition in Mark Lombardi. Global Networks, Robert Hobbs, 2003. Source: © Mark Lombardi 1999

13. ‘How Long Will it Last? Earth’s natural wealth:
an audit’. 23 May 2007. Source: The New Scientist.
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14. The Oil Age: World Oil Production 1859–2050. Source: Rob Bracken (writer), Dave Menninger (graphic artist), Michael Poremba (statistician), Richard Katz (catalyst). 2006.
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15. The True Cost of Coal. The Beehive Collective (USA) works with communities impacted by mountain top removal to illustrate the history and continuing struggle against the
mountaintop removal coal mining. The Beehive Design Collective’s website explains that they ‘allied with Appalachian grassroots organizers fighting Mountain Top Removal
Coal Mining, a highly destructive practice that blasts ancient mountains into toxic moonscapes to fuel the ever-growing global demand for electricity. This graphic reflects the
complexity of the struggles for land, livelihood, and self-determination playing out in Appalachia, while honoring the tremdendous history of organized resistance and the cour-
age of communities living in the shadow of Big Coal’. Source: Beehive Design Colletive 2008-2010.
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16. see a warming of 2 °C to 3 °C this century with a planetary energy imbalance sufficient to melt enough ice to raise sea level
by several meters.
©2007
2030, Inc. ©2007
2030, Inc.
HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA - 1-meter sea level rise
Population: 139,357 Population: 139,357 Data Source: LIDAR and USGS 10M NED
©2007
2030, Inc. ©2007
2030, Inc.
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA - 1-meter sea level rise
Population: 87,933 Population: 87,933 Data Source: LIDAR IHRCS
Nation under Siege. Sea Level Rise at Our Doorstep. The 2030 Research Cente explains that; ‘with a business-as-usual approach, where fossil-fuel consumption and GHG
emissions continue to increase, we will likely see a warming of 2 °C to 3 °C this century with a planetary energy imbalance sufficient to melt enough ice to raise sea level by
several meters.’ Source: A Coastal Impact Study Prepared by The 2030 Research Center.
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