Lexicon of Sustainability

8/8/2019 Lexicon of Sustainability

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contact: Douglas Gayeton 3190 Eastman Lane Petaluma, CA 94952 323 / 627 3003 [email protected] www.thelexicon.org


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We are the rst generation to lose everything.

Weve gone rom living in a world o innite resources to one where

everything has become disturbingly nite.


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New thinking has ledto the creation o termslike oodmiles carbonhooprints, actory

arming and evenmethane digesters,but do people reallyknow what thesephrases mean or the so-

lutions they represent?


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People have begun using terms like

ood miles, carbon hooprint,actory arming, pasture raisedand cage free, but do they reallyknow what these phrases mean?

Do they understand where theseterms originated and why?

We cant orm new ideas, createbreakthrough technologies, or healthe planet i we dont even have thelanguage to express our desire andintent.


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As consumers become more inormed, they reward producers or rediscov-ering old traditions. Heritage breeds are saved and reintroduced. Mass-production is cast aside in avor o artisanal methods.

An inormed public transorms a society.


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But it all begins by learning the simplest terms. Even theword organic. We cant orm new ideas, create break-through technologies, or heal the planet without the lan-guage to express our desire and intent.


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We need a new vocabulary, a lexicon refecting new

cultural and economic realities ...


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... a greater concern or the environment, a renewed sense o personalresponsibility, and lastly a deeper commitment to lessen our impact onthe world around us.


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The oremost practitioners o sustainability in ood and arming are ready toprovide this knowledge.

Joel Salatin and Wes Jackson ...


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[SAMPLE DEFINITIONS FROM THE LEXICON]

... haved joined a new symphony of voices ...


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this is the ...

lexicon o sustainabilitya cross-platorm project involving the most knowledgeablepractioners o sustainability, presented as a series o short

lms, traveling photography shows, books and an interactivewebsite ... all about the people and ideas that are changing

the way we live.


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PROJECT OVERVIEW

In the spring of 2009 Douglas Gayeton and Laura Howard-Gayeton hired researchers and assembled a Lexicon featuringterms from 13 different areas of sustainability, from air to water, manufacturing to conservation, food to farming, energy toarchitecture and health to spirituality.

The initial idea was to publish these terms in a book along with selected photographs by Gayeton.

However, the Lexicon quickly grew to over one thousand entries. In many cases these terms were submitted by the individuals

or organizations which had coined or best represented what a term meant. Often, competing denition of the same termwere included.

Given the vast amount of information the team assembled, the decision was made to rethink the project, and expand the INITIALBOOK IDEA to include:

SHORT FILMS: a series of 26 video shorts, one denition per each 2-3 minute episode, to run on-air as an interstitial series,stream online as webisodes, and possibly be combined into a long form video project.

ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORK: a dedicated online community where members can add new terms to the lexicon using a wiki-likeinterface, debate existing denitions, or sign up to receive daily blasts of new lexicon entries.

TRAVELING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW: a traveling exhibit featuring a lecture series, lms, photography, and special guests.


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Douglas Gayeton is a lmmaker, photographer and writer.Since the early 90s he has created award-winning work atthe boundaries o traditional and converging media or AOL,MSN, MTV, Napster, Electronic Arts, Vivendi, Ubisot, Na-tional Geographic and PBS. His most recent documentaryaired on HBO.

He lectures requently on art, technology and sustainability.His photographs have been printed in Time and other maga-zines and are held in numerous museum and private collec-tions around the world.

His book SLOW: Lie in a Tuscan Town was published inthe Fall o 2009 by Welcome Books. It eatures a preaceby the ounder o Slow Food, Carlo Petrini, and an introduc-

tion by Alice Waters. It was recently nominated or the BEAsprestigious Photography Book o the year. He currently hastwo photography shows touring, one in the United States anda second in Europe.

Lexicon of Sustainability

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