The Irrefutable Need for Accessible Environmental Media

Introduction

    From the diorama of Carl and Delia Akeley to the videography of Osa Johnson, the United States has often seen easily digestible media fuel environmental advocacy. The beauty of these mediums is their accessibility to the general public. In the modern day, there has been a surge in the popularity of digital media sources. These forms of media can be transformative in closing the gap between the differences in scientific understandings and the public perception of ecological issues. The principle of accessibility in past and present forms of media is crucial in shaping the environmental narrative in America by promoting ecological advocacy and inclusivity.

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The Work of The Akeley’s

    Before social media and the privilege of having the world a search away, there were pioneers that paved the way. Coming first was the immensely important work of Carl and Delia Akeley. Commissioned around the entire world, Carl Akeley traveled from the flatlands of Ogaden, Africa, to the highest point of the Olympian Mountains. At the time in the 1890s, there was no color photography at the level we see today. The general American public was completely clueless about the biodiversity that inhabited the other six continents of the world. Through these commissions, Carl Akeley harvested and brought back hundreds of specimens that would be used as taxidermy displays. Akeley was a taxidermy pioneer and the Field Museum's Chief Taxidermist. These specimens would be stuffed and put on display in a diorama that replicated their natural habitat. An example of a very significant diorama is: “‘The Wounded Comrade,’ showing a wounded elephant being supported and assisted by two of his mates; and “Lion and Buffalo” showing a bull buffalo attacked by a lion” (Skiff). Not only showing movement and emotion through stagnant figures, it also informed on the food chain that exists in Africa. These dioramas often were new experiences for museum-goers; not only as entertainment but as opportunities to learn. As stated by Stephen C. Quinn- Senior Project Manager of Exhibitions- at The American Museum of Natural History- the importance of the work of Carl and Delia Akeley is that “…These exhibits when they first appear, were very powerful tools for science education and environmental nurturing… [they were] used as tools to campaign for protection” (AMNH). All of this was not possible without the undying efforts of Delia Akeley. A diorama is nothing without the habitat to accompany it. Delia was tasked with the painstaking job of creating that crucial habitat. This was done by pouring hot wax into molds and hand painting every single one to match the time and season the diorama was set in (thebrainscoop). These dioramas, with Carl’s taxidermy, and Delia’s habitat, opened the door for Americans to explore completely different worlds.

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The Work of Osa Johnson

    Further on from the Akeleys came the incredibly accessible work of Osa Johnson. Being the first woman to take charge of an entire African Expedition all by herself, she became a pioneer for active women in the States. (WFPP). On these expeditions, Osa Johnson operated the camera and “…shoot motion pictures and still photographs of wild animals and local peoples for their popular, sensationalist documentaries, their lecture tours, as well as for study by naturalists at the American Museum of Natural History” Photos and video are some of the most accessible media because it does not require any outside context or a special understanding of vocabulary to understand. These photos and videos caught America by storm and they became infatuated with the idea of the wilderness. Photos from her 1935 expedition to North Borneo depict a likely never before seen species of monkey. These photos and videos gave insight into their behavior and allowed scientists, like those at the American Museum of Natural History, to study and continue to learn. An advantage this form of media had over taxidermy is that Carl and Delia only had exhibits at a few museums. This also required citizens to be in person to experience which came at a cost to everyday Americans. Photos and videos can be published anywhere which made this form of media even more accessible to this interested in learning.

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Pitfalls of Modern Environmental Diction

    Catching up on the 100-year mark, the Osa Johnson and Akeley examples are outdated for many Americans. This causes them to seek out contemporary media to learn about the Environment. Though outdated, these older forms of media have a leg up on some forms of modern media in the realm of accessibility. With Carl and Delia Akeley, the biggest barrier to experiencing the dioramas was the physical proximity to the closest displaying museum along with the cost of entry. With Osa Johnson, that barrier was eliminated. The only remaining requirement is at a bare minimum having access to a newspaper to display the countless photos taken. Today, this posted online only requires access to the internet which the average American has access to. An opportunity to revolutionize Environmental Media has just one last hurdle: diction. Geology, Race and Matter, a chapter in Kathryn Yusoff’s book “A Billion Black Anthropocenes or None”, has insightful narratives hidden behind a mountain of confusing jargon. No special understanding is needed when you see the beautiful leaves of Delia Akeley hit the substrate or the sight of two monkeys photographed by Osa Johnson. An unwavering determination to research every other word written by Yusoff is compulsory in this unwavering chapter. Starting with the thesis Kayhrn Yusoff makes, she claims that geological grammar has “…failed to grabble with the inheritance of violent dispossession of indigenous land under the auspices of a colonial geo-logics or to address the extractive grammars of geology that labor in the instrumentation and instrumentalization of dominant colonial narratives and their subjective, often subjugating registers that are an ongoing praxis of displacement”. The United States is surging with a desire to understand science and understand how society can protect our ever-changing climate. The diction chosen here has ostracized even college students who major in Environmental Studies. While important to those deeply connected to Geology, it is inaccessible to a majority of the population who is unsure what is meant by colonial narratives being “an ongoing praxis of displacement”. Niche word choice may be helpful to those deeply understanding of the topic of discussion but it is not a way forward to changing backward environmental narratives. 

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Accessible Contemporary Videography

    Kathryn Yusoff may make feel ordinary Americans lost when discussing the environment but others aim to remove all barriers. Rollie Williams and a team operate a YouTube channel under the name “Climate Town”. With a desire to educate while also entertaining, the main goal of Climate Town is “to get more people comfortable talking about climate change without feeling embarrassed or uninformed about it.” This simple narrative has catapulted their success to reach hundreds of thousands of people in just a few short years. Specifically, though only starting in August 2020, they “…have released just under 20 full-length episodes that have been viewed more than 12,000,000 times & our YouTube channel just passed 400,000 subscribers” Climate Town uses comedy and hard evidence to illustrate the dangers of climate change. They tackle complex issues of environmental policy in short around 20-minute videos. Without the use of daunting multisyllabic vocabulary, this form of media is incredibly accessible to anyone wishing to learn. 

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A Feeling of Hope

    The accessibility of media members like Climate Town, Osa Johnson, Carl, and Delia Akeley, a strong sense of hope is created within those consuming the content. To one who has never seen a world outside of their small town, they can become fascinated by the dioramas they can see at the Field Museum. They may not know it but that small moment granted them membership into a colony destined to preserve the environment. Like mushrooms that live within a larger less visible fungus, the media is a fungus that fruits hope into those who wish to learn. This work done in the past sparks an urge to protect now. Rebecca Solnit acknowledges this in her foreword to the “Third Edition of Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities”, that although “Uprisings and revolutions are often considered to be spontaneous, but less visible long-term organizing and groundwork— or underground work—often laid the foundation. Changes in ideas and values also result from work done by writers, scholars, public intellectuals, social activists, and participants in social media” (33). The accessibility of Osa and the Akeleys is the underlying work that we rely on today. Though we have that foundation some still have fear regarding the future. In watching Climate Town, one may be consumed with a sense of anxiety when viewing all the threats the environment faces. Rebecca Solnit eases those fears when she writes that “Hope doesn’t mean denying these realities. It means facing them and addressing them by remembering what else the twenty-first century has brought, including the movements, heroes, and shifts in consciousness that address these things now” (32). One can easily understand the work done by Osa Johnson, Carl, and Delia Akeley, and contemporary players like Climate Town. These easily accessible media sources create a sense of hope even when there may seem to be no hope possible.

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Conclusion

    Without easily digestible sources of media, the promotion of sustainable ecological narratives will not work as some may feel left out. The work of Osa Johnson and Delia Akeley set the foundation during the early 20th century as they created curiosity within the American people and a portal to a different world. These principles are split within modern media. Some members like Climate Town create easily consumable content aimed to create comfort within citizens when discussing climate change. Others like Kathryn Yusoff create extremely specific examples that often exclude a majority of the population through word choice. While some forms of media can exclude, Rebecca Solnit contends that no matter what there is going to be forever a sense of hope when discussing the environment. Accessibility is crucial to shaping public perception of climate change and aims to connect scientific findings to the average American in an effective manner.

  

 

References

American Museum of Natural History. (2012). Habitat Dioramas as Early Tools in Wildlife Conservation. YouTube. Retrieved February 4, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LxTKdFaeS0. 

Expedition 9 North Borneo 1935. Martin + Osa Johnson Safari Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved February 4, 2023, from https://safarimuseum.wixsite.com/martinosajohnson/expedition-9-north-borneo-1935 

Horak, L. (n.d.). Osa Johnson. Women Film Pioneers Project. Retrieved February 4, 2023, from https://wfpp.columbia.edu/pioneer/ccp-osa-johnson/ 

Skiff, F. J. V. (1970, January 1). Annual report of the director to the Board of Trustees for the year ..: Field Museum of Natural History: Free Download, borrow, and streaming. Internet Archive. Retrieved February 2, 2023, from https://archive.org/details/annualreporto19211925fiel/page/26/mode/2up?view=theater&q=comrade 

Solnit, R. (2017). Grounds For Hope. Tikkun, 32(1), 30–39. https://doi.org/10.1215/08879982-3769066 

thebrainscoop. (2013). Carl Akeley's Four Seasons. YouTube. Retrieved February 4, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUkbYp1Gyrg&t=288s. 

Williams, R. (n.d.). What We're Doing. Climate Town. Retrieved February 4, 2023, from https://www.climatetownproductions.com/about 

Yusoff, K. (2022). Geology, Race and Matter. In A Billion Black Anthropocenes or None. essay, University of Minnesota Press.