Writer's+Page

​On this page the writers will post their write ups. Everyone should at least read each write up once and if applicable provide feedback to the writer.

Philosophy: Hasnain Dharamshi Look and Feel: Nicole Doucette Voice: Monica Ibrahim Content Oraganization: Monica Ibrahim

When the visitor enters the exhibition, they notice a variety of buildings that one would normally see while walking down the streets of Toronto. **
 * Content Organization (EDIT):

Once they enter, the street is laid out with the Factory on their direct left, the building responsible for expelling immeasurable amounts of greenhouses gases and chemicals. At the end of the street is the Future Shop, containing new ideas and information on green technology. The setting of our exhibition represents an analogy of the present we live in, and the future that we hope to achieve if every one of us takes the initial step to change their lifestyles.

Each visitor experiences a variety of problems that occur inside each of the buildings by physically entering each building, reading stats displayed in unique manners, and gaining knowledge about our environment through fun and interactive exhibits.

The park, placed in the middle of the exhibition, contains an important message for our visitors. This exhibit represents the earth, and each display in the park is really a representation of problems occurring in the real world, such as water pollution and global warming. Other buildings such as: the House, the Office, the TTC bus, the Ecoplex Centre, the Grocery Store, and the Sustainacity Theatres are also found in the exhibition.

Throughout the walk along the street, visitors are exposed to information that will make them realize what could potentially happen if we do not change our ways. It also shows them the incredible outcome we could produce for our planet if we modify our daily actions. We hope to teach them to “//think globally, act locally//”.

Reduced energy consumption, material and resource conservation, and lower waste disposal costs are all positive effects of building green. This is the act of creating buildings that use less resources and energy, and have a reduced impact on the environment.
 * Exhibition Materials:**

Our exhibition will be made out of completely certified green supplies to show visitors how easy and safe these materials are to use. Our buildings will be framed with structural isolation panels, which are made from seemingly ‘unusable’ parts of trees. The energy needed for the production of these panels is created from the leftover parts of trees. This leads to a system that requires much less energy and resources to produce than a normal framing system.

In terms of flooring, bamboo and recycled glass tiles – for the bathroom in the house- will be used. Bamboo is considered a renewable resource, as the fastest growing plant on our earth, and an efficient producer of oxygen. This flooring can be obtained in many stores throughout Canada, such as Ecodesignz or Vitroceram Inc.

Any furniture used will also be made of bamboo, recycled wood, or recycled ceramic. These are all durable materials that can be used efficiently throughout the exhibition.

Another important part of our displays are accessories. These are things like signs, paint, and materials needed for miscellaneous exhibits. Of course, LED light bulbs will be used to reduce electricity consumption, and as much energy as possible will be provided by solar panels located outside of the exhibition. Any signs created will be made out of eco friendly ink and materials, provided by stores such as the Dymond Design shop located in Barrie, Ontario. Things like eco- friendly paint and recycled paper can be found in stores across Toronto, in vast assortments of colours and types. For environmentally friendly materials, organic cotton, hemp, soy fibre, recycled polyester, and naturally, bamboo can be used. These can all be found at the Sierra Trading Post Canada.

By using these materials in our exhibition, we hope to provide visitors with information and ideas on what they can do to make their home green.

 We have broken the earth.
 * Exhibition Voice (a fusion of Monica's and Nicole's edited by Craig):**

We have paved roads over forests, drilled railways through mountains, and poisoned the very air we breathe. We have deteriorated the condition of our ozone layer and polluted countless bodies of water.

We can see this simply by looking at the streets of Toronto in our everyday life. From our surroundings, we can find a multitude of issues that concern Earth’s sustainability and draw conclusions about the health of the environment.

Factories are constantly polluting the air we breathe and destroying the ozone layer that shields our skin from intensive ultraviolet rays. We are incessantly cutting down trees, our main source of oxygen, in order to satisfy what we believe to be our 'needs'. Even then, we throw away our 'needs' without qualms. Excessive amounts of garbage are being thrown out daily at an alarming exponential rate.  The problem is not that we have become destructive beings. It is simply our ignorance and lack of awareness that has festered over time, bringing us to the critical state we live in now.  Our exhibition is the voice of the world because it cannot speak for itself. It speaks for the damage and devastation we have inflicted upon it, and how we must change our ways before it is irreversible.

We are all a part of this world, and thus, the voice of our exhibition is channeled as a message that can be delivered from person to person. By doing so, we hope to create an impact in which everyone has the personal desire to help out so that collectively we can make a difference. Our voice reaches out to everyone across the world through a mouth to mouth process. Our voice is to get other people to notice what is going on with our only possible home, Earth. 

Our exhibition’s foundation focuses on the little things we do on a day-to-day basis, tasks that we do not take the time to analyze or consider the risks on how they affect Earth’s sustainability. Hence, our goal is to call out to everyone and invite them see the real sources that will lead to an unfortunate reality if we continue to practice our destructive habits.  This is a voice that is impossible to ignore, and through it, visitors will notice what is happening to our environment. We hope this voice will call out to everyone and invite them to make a difference; to think before they consume, and to think before they act.

As a world, we have destroyed it. As a world, we can fix it.

Environmental degradation is a process through which the natural environment is compromised in some way, reducing biological diversity and the health of ecosystems. Every individual has contributed to the degradation of the global environment through their daily actions. We are all aware of the impacts of our lifestyles on the environment and the inevitable repercussions that will follow. Yet, our activities do not change from day to day. As a global community, little effort is being made to ensure the protection of the environment. Through our exhibition, we hope to pave a road to sustainability.
 * Exhibition Philosophy: //The Road to Sustainability//**

 Our philosophy, 'bringing it back to you', leads to a strong exhibition that will provide an easy way for visitors to renovate their lives. The exhibition allows visitors to learn about the true impacts of their actions on the global community, and is based on an ideal downtown street. This street includes buildings that are a major part of daily life. Each building presents an aspect of life, and shows how we can alter it to cause the least amount of ecological damage. Furthermore, this exhibition will provide information about the necessary precautions and adaptations that must be done in order to save our environment.  The exhibition aims to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the impacts of the visitor’s daily actions, as well as simulating a sustainable way of living. Visitors are engaged in viewing current technology that can assist in lowering one’s ecological footprint and they can view shows about the damage being done to our world. Our goal is that visitors will walk away with ideas and a drive for a green future.

When a visitor enters this exhibition, it seems as though they are walking down a street in Toronto. They are surrounded by buildings of all kinds, a park, and even a TTC bus. These are the exhibits that contain interactive stations that will show visitors how they can make small changes in their lives to reduce their effect on the environment.
 * Look and Feel:**

Visitors should feel comfortable and safe in this environment; because this street looks just like any other street in Toronto. Just like any other average street, they can go to whatever building they want, whenever they want.

As they travel through these different exhibits, they will realize all the small changes they can make in their lifestyles that will benefit the environment. Perhaps they will feel embarrassed or ashamed of how selfishly they have consumed, or maybe they will feel hopeful of the changes our society can make in the future. Either way, by bringing it back to the visitor, we hope to inspire change in everyone.

Upon entering the exhibition, the visitor will find themselves in what seems to be a normal Toronto street. They are surrounded by tall buildings, including a movie theatre, a mall, a factory, and mannequins, which represent the inhabitants of this street. As visitors explore this street, they will find amidst the buildings interactive exhibits, all providing information about living sustainably.
 * Walkthrough:**

The first building that may draw their attention is the Factory. This is directly on their left upon entering the exhibition, and the goal of this structure is to show how harmful industries can be on our environment. By presenting the impacts of our industries on animals, as well as humans, we hope visitors will realize how their actions not only affect themselves, but the entire world.

The next building visitors may investigate is the Office, located next to the Factory. This is a maze in which guests will choose their outcome based on their answers to questions about their lifestyles. This maze ensures that they know how harmful their actions are on the planet, which can motivate them to make changes in their everyday life.

In the left corner of the exhibition stands the mall, which contains the makeup and clothing exhibits, called the Ecoplex Centre. This area contains a ‘green’ runway, with mannequin models wearing environmentally friendly clothing, showing visitors they can be fashion- saavy and environmentally conscious. This building is meant to promote the purchases of green products, which will create a stronger push in our economy for more sustainable manufacturing.

As well as a Factory, Office, and Mall, this street also contains the entertainment staple of any town- a movie theatre. The Sustainicity Theatre is an area in which the visitor can sit down and watch live performances for fifteen to twenty minutes. This includes an explanation of global warming, and how they can reduce their ecological footprint. While shows are not occurring, movie clips, such as // the Day after Tomorrow //, // Wall-E // , and songs, like John Mayor’s // Waiting on the World to Change // , will be playing. By raising awareness and knowledge of ongoing environment issues, visitors can be more conscious of the choices they make in their daily lives. Another building meant to raise awareness and knowledge of environment issues is the Grocery Store. There are many issues linked to food, including pollution, pesticides, and unproductive land use. By providing information on eating healthily for your family and the planet, we can work towards a greener future.

The second last building in the exhibition is the House, which is a sustainable model of a townhouse. It contains exhibits about water consumption, electricity usage, and efficient appliances. This brings it back to visitor, showing how they can make changes in their homes that benefit the environment.

The last building in the exhibition is the Future Shop, which is exactly that, a store providing information about how we can create a better future for ourselves. It has sustainable technology on display, such as electricity generating bacteria, solar panels, and iPod chargers that can be linked to bicycles. This building provides an easy way to see how advances in technology can be used to build a sustainable future.

Before the visitor leaves the exhibition, they have two last things to see. The TTC bus, and the Park, both situated in the middle of the buildings. The TTC bus contains stats that will hopefully persuade more people to carpool or use public transit, which would reduce the amount of air pollution caused by vehicles. The Park also contains stats about the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, as well as a greenhouse gas simulator, which will help children understand exactly what global warming is. Through these exhibits, we hope visitors realize exactly how catastrophically we are affecting the world. 

Through //the Road to Sustainablity//, it is our hope to promote sustainable living and lead people towards a greener future. By providing information about each aspect in our daily life, visitors can take away what they learn and apply it directly to their own.