Sustainability and Green Economics in Weddings: A Visual Analysis

Visual Culture

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6
APPENDIX......................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
The progress which has been made by the current society in terms of technology and use of
advanced science has made life quite streamlined and has also made it so that various businesses
and complex operations have become quite easy to execute. The advent of globalization has also
made it possible to undertake key business decisions in both international and domestic arenas
with much less risk involved which has given invaluable boost to modern businesses. However,
the progress in such regard has also had serious negative ramifications especially towards the
environment and has led to massive scale degradation of natural resources such as water, air and
land pollution (Harrison, 2008). Due to the rapid degradation of the environment and its after
effects causing global warming and climate change, the push towards sustainability as a concept
is being quickly embraced by businesses across all sectors. Sustainability refers to the justified
and holistic use of resources to limit their negative impact on the environment and to preserve
them for use by future generations. This essay will explore the theme of sustainability as being
morally considerate towards the environment is the need of the hour which will be done through
the help of a visual analysis consisting of 10 images related to the chosen theory of
sustainability. The essay will focus on wedding as the theme related to sustainability and I am
personally interested to explore this avenue as weddings are important functions of societal
importance and generally the materials, decorations and the wastage of food and resources at
such venues is a major detriment to the local environment (Tao, 2019).
MAIN BODY
One of the most major theories related to sustainability is the theory of green economics
which state that all the major corporate businesses in an economy along with all governmental
institutions must take environmental impact into consideration while planning their business
operations. According to eminent researchers in the field on environmental impact and
sustainability such as George Mitchell, a delicate balance must be established between achieving
business objectives and taking care of natural resource usage to prevent their exhaustion in the
near future (Schmandt, 2010). The theory of green economy was initially coined in 1989 when
an established group of researchers supplied a major report to the government of UK based on
the harsh ill-effects being generated by modern businesses. According to the group of these
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environmental scientists, the most feasible way forward was to thoroughly incorporate the
concept of sustainability in all major business activities going forward and designing product and
services in such a way that their environmental impact is at least neutral if not a net positive
(Pearce, Markandya and Barbier, 1989). This concept and theoretical knowledge regarding
environmental consideration also links to the chosen theme regarding sustainable weddings.
According to industry specific reports such as the research conducted in green bride guide, an
average weeding is responsible for 400 lbs of garbage and around 63 tons of carbon dioxide
which is a major sustainability related issue which must be explored further. The main
components of the visual research which will be conducted in this essay will revolve around
exploring the main issues and developments regarding sustainability. The key questions that will
be resolved with the help of the visual analysis of the 10 images will be “what are the main
aspects and goals of sustainability?”, “why are weddings unsustainable?” and “how can
weddings be made more sustainable”. The main hypothesis which this essay will be based upon
is “traditional weddings are unsustainable in the long run and needs integration of greener
operations to make them more environmentally friendly”.
The main avenue which I would like to investigate via this visual research involves
highlight the major problems of sustainability being faced by modern businesses and events such
as wedding businesses and events and the implementation of concepts of green economics. The
main type of research methodology which will be used in the development of this essay is
primary research based around 10 images which relate to the theme of sustainability and topic of
sustainable wedding events (Daniels and Wosicki, 2020). The main types of research practices
which will be showcased in this essay will revolve around visual element analysis of the 10
chosen images and the use of auto ethnographic form of research which involves the use of
personal opinion and reflection. This section of the essay will highlight a visual analysis based
on 10 images which have been duly attached in the appendix.
The first image relates to the chosen theme of sustainability by highlighting the
combination of using eco-friendly material and plant or natural décor and theme to make
weddings eco-friendlier. This concept can go a long way in making social events much less
taxing on the environment.
The second image is related to the chosen theory of green economics and connects them
to the topic of sustainability as the wedding rings on top of the lead have ben photographed in a
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