Мы строим деревню / we are building ecovillage: экология как бренд

Ecology as a brand

ivanovishe 22.11.13 в 20:09

We say “ecological” settlement, but I reflect on the fact, that this word nowadays becomes too obscure, general and very shabby. Initially the word “ecology” denoted the science, which investigates our habitat and the relationships in it. Gradually the world began to gain popularity because we started to understand how the influence of the humankind breaks these relationships. And the ecology stood up in defence of our planet. Bit by bit the word started to denote something, which is natural for the human being. Ecological house is good, and unecological is bad one. Healthy ecological food is good, ecologically unhealthy is not. In such a way people have understood that everything, which contains the prefix “eco”, is better for the human than anything, that doesn’t contain this prefix. Although it is a surprise.

Yanne 11.04.14 в 10:22

The cucumber, the good natural cucumber - it is obvious anyway. Frankly speaking it doesn’t need any additional names like “ecologically clear cucumber”. It's quite another matter about the “plastic” cucumber, grown in some hydroponics. This very cucumber is less natural, and it’s better to invent different epithets to it: the “hydroponic, artificial, hormone-containing, without the smell” cucumber.

Yanne 11.04.14 в 10:31

But in reality it is upside down: the ordinal natural cucumber, grown on the ground and above the sun in the most primitive way according to the laws of nature, becomes something unusual, get the special name, is sold under the special brand “ECO” and is extremely expensive.

Yanne 11.04.14 в 10:36

The same is about the place for living, about the air, the water. Water is water in the theory. But we are among constant offers: drinking water, treated water, ecologically clean water…Which is quite expensive. The same situation is in every sphere.

Yanne 11.04.14 в 10:40

This process can indicate only one thing: nowadays there is much little quantity of such simple cucumbers in our everyday life than the quantity of artificial cucumbers is, the drinking water is hardly available and the air suitable for breathing is in 100 km from the city and so on.

Yanne 11.04.14 в 10:49

Now you come into the shop, and there expensive ecologically clean foodstuffs are sold, in the newspapers estate agents tell about ecologically clean regions. Today almost every cottage settlement with helicopter landing site are considered to be ecological settlements. The ecology turns to the brand, which in modern money world often increases the price of goods and services very much. The words with the prefix “eco” are worn out quite long ago, their sense blurred in our speech and some new specified words started to appear: for example “organic”. Organic food, organic clothes, organic farm…It begins to indicate something more specific that these very food and clothes are produced without use of chemical ingredients.

Yanne 11.04.14 в 14:41

It is interesting, that all words which are used in this theme are foreign ones. There are few Russian popular words concerning this theme and all influences go mainly from the west. Among Russian progressives Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy can be mentioned, as the person who actively propagandized “ecological” ideas. Probably after his highly exact word “simplification” (which means deliberate decrease of consumption, in other words tend to a simplicity), there appeared nothing new in the Russian language about this theme, and even this word practically is not used today. Nevertheless new terms appeared abroad again and again. For example recently we began to say - «low impact». This term means that the human influences the environment at the minimal rate. Maybe it is the most definite word combination for today, much clearer than the words “ecological”, “natural” and “organic”.

Yanne 13.04.14 в 12:30

If you don’t have a car it is a «low impact». If you use hand-labour it is a «low impact». Using natural and organic system of agriculture at your farm you have a low impact on the environment.

Yanne 13.04.14 в 12:35

One more popular term in English language sounds as «sustainable» and for me it is more suitable to translate it as “self-sustaining” rather than “stable”. I am at one with these words.

Yanne 13.04.14 в 12:39

I am fond of all the terms mentioned above, they are very close as I think to the main sense of ecological settlements. But for the time being it very difficult to make the brand from them. Becouse in the case of the use of such words we tell not about the environment (“ecologically clean region”) but first of all about our own influences. About our manner to live. Although, who knows? Modern marketing experts are too ingenious. And maybe we will soon see this word combination at the market: ”Simplified sustainable cucumber of low impact”.

Yanne 13.04.14 в 12:48

That’s why, speaking that our settlement is “ecological” one I have in mind exactly these meanings. It is the settlement where we try to live simple life, which can have minimal impact on the environment and which would be sustainable at most. Of course it doesn’t forbid us to use cars when it is necessary or electricity. But there is a great sense to reflect always on the thought, how the deal which I want to do now will influence on the Nature. It is good to aim at attentiveness, awareness and simplicity. Probably for this we have started to experiment with village life.

Yanne 13.04.14 в 12:58