William Byrne BLOG 2 – HOW THE BETTER LIVES PROJECT MIGHT CHANGE THE WAY I WORK IN THE FUTURE
The better lives project has made me reflect on previous work, as well as work I am going to create in the near and distant future. I feel that in the past I cared about inclusion, about sustainability, about collaboration, about representation, and so many other issues we currently face but during the better lives project I realised just how crucial all of these things are, and how if we all work together we really could create a better world for everybody, including future generations.
We are the clearest example of a society which destroyed itself by overexploiting it’s own resources, whilst failing to anticipate future consequences. Currently, we are living through a crucial turning point in history, and what we do now during this climate emergency will be judged by future generations who will live in a world completely different to the world we currently live in, and it is our responsibility to do better and be better, not just for ourselves, but all future life on this vast earth.
I am working on changing life long habits such as drinking cow’s milk, using single-use plastics, and purchasing fast fashion items, which are made in appalling conditions using cheap labour. I am changing my habits to try and make a slight difference to the earth, but it is bittersweet when elites, with their disproportionate power, feel they are somehow detached from the terrifying realities of climate change. Elites can make a massive difference by donating money, owning fewer things, travelling less, driving more eco-friendly vehicles, and owning fewer houses, as well as other things. According to Oxfam, the average carbon footprint of someone in the world’s richest 1% could be 175 times that of someone in the poorest 10%. Studies also show that poorer people will suffer the most from climate change.
“Diversity is having a seat at the table, inclusion is having a voice, and belonging is having that voice be heard” – Liz Fosslien
“I tell my students, ‘when you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.” – Toni Morrison
So as well as working on being more sustainable, I am also working on being more inclusive and representative of the beautiful range of people we have living on this earth, and I think it is super important to not only include people in front of the camera but behind the camera too. As a white, able-bodied, cis male I have a lot of privilege and power to create real change, and I am working on being more inclusive and using my privilege, voice, and platform to make people aware of the issues and misrepresentation that bipoc, plus-sized, queer, women, and those of a lower socioeconomic background face every single day. Create the change you wish to see in the world.