Educators can expand traditional media literacy frameworks to address crucial environmental dimensions of our media systems and culture. The goal is to develop students’ capacity for critical analysis and responsible creation of media in relation to sustainability issues.
1. Expand the scope of media analysis to include environmental impacts:
- Examine the ecological footprint of media technologies and infrastructure (e.g. energy use of data centers, e-waste from devices)
- Analyze how media shapes cultural beliefs and behaviors related to the environment
2. Incorporate ecocriticism into content analysis:
- Evaluate how environmental issues are framed and represented in media
- Identify environmental ideologies and discourses in media texts
3. Add sustainability as a key consideration in media production:
- Teach sustainable practices for media creation (e.g. low-impact filmmaking)
- Encourage students to create media addressing environmental topics
4. Explore the intersection of media systems and ecosystems:
- Examine how media technologies impact physical environments
- Discuss the role of media in shaping human-nature relationships
5. Develop systems thinking skills:
- Emphasize interconnections between media, technology, culture, and environment
- Use holistic frameworks to analyze complex ecomedia issues
6. Include environmental communication concepts:
- Teach strategies for effective environmental messaging
- Analyze environmental campaigns and activism
7. Address digital environmental issues:
- Discuss the environmental impacts of digital technologies (e.g. cryptocurrency mining)
- Examine greenwashing in tech company marketing
8. Integrate across disciplines:
- Connect media literacy to environmental science, sustainability studies, etc.
- Use ecomedia topics to bridge humanities and sciences
9. Emphasize civic engagement:
- Encourage students to use media skills for environmental advocacy
- Discuss media’s role in environmental policy and decision-making
10. Update practical skills:
- Teach how to evaluate environmental claims in media
- Develop data literacy for understanding environmental information