The Media Ethics Initiative Presents:
Can We Shop Our Way to a Better Planet? The Promises and Pitfalls of Green Consumption
Dr. Lucy Atkinson, University of Texas at Austin
September 21, 11AM-12PM, CMA 5.136
From organic bananas and Fair-trade coffee to hybrid cars and canvas shopping bags: sustainable consumption is increasingly seen as a solution to the environmental problems brought on by climate change. Dr. Atkinson will present research that examines the ways green advertising and other persuasive environmental messages encourage consumers to adopt pro-social, civic-minded orientations in the marketplace, and the ethical questions that arise.
Lucy Atkinson is an associate professor in the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Texas at Austin. Her primary area of research focuses on the intersection of politics and consumer behavior, particularly among young people. For example, she explores whether and to what degree socially conscious consumption, such as buying fair-trade coffee or hybrid cars, either helps or hinders conventional civic and political engagement, such as voting and volunteering. A second stream of research explores the roles of consumption and media use in fostering identity. Her recent work in this vein has studied brand communities in online social networking sites and how individuals think of themselves and their profiles as online brands. She teaches classes in advertising history, public relations, journalism, research methods, media effects and consumer behavior.
Free and open to the UT community and general public
For further information, contact Dr. Scott Stroud
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