"To achieve lasting and sustainable development and improve the quality of life of all people, the states should reduce or eliminate the production and consumption models, which interfere with such development (…)" Principle 8 of the Rio Declaration
Throughout the ages the Earth imposed its rhythm on human beings. All the way up to our times. The dynamic technological development observed till the end of the 19th Century, together with a demographic explosion, have become the cause of the excessive exploitation of Earth’s natural resources (particularly the non-renewable), as well as mismanagement of renewable resources leading to devastation of the environment. The consequence is that the time of the Earth is no longer synonymous with the time of human beings.
At the end of the 19th Century the number of people inhabiting the Earth was around 2 billions, while only during the last 40 years this figure has increased threefold reaching 6 billions. At the present moment, while You are reading these words, the population is increasing by 300 persons per minute and this explosive development is not slowing down. The multiplying amounts of production waste are having their effects. The waste is polluting the air, water and soil. The supplies of the Earth’s natural resources are shrinking with a frightening speed, while the ecosystems taking care of their production are being permanently affected in a damaging way. Each year, the humanity uses over a third more of the resources than the Earth is capable to reproduce. If this process retains its current speed, around the year 2030 sustaining the current level of life will already require two planets. Thoughtless exploitation of the Earth causes deterioration of the soil quality and shrinking of the forest areas. This in turn, leads to a gradual extinction of animals. Summing up, the consequences of the current state of affairs are likely to be very grave.
The Earth without people is not a fiction! Our presence fills in merely 0,15% of the history of the Earth, while our footprint, which seems to be so lasting, will be quickly erased if we disappear from its surface. Let us take our life and the life of the future generations in our hands again!
This new perspective is set out by the idea of sustainable development, which covers considerably more than protection of the environment or counteracting the global warming can envelop. According to the statement in the Brundtland report ‘Our common future’, the core principle is "such fulfillment of the current generation’s needs, which will not decrease the chances of the future generations and their needs". This idea refers to "preserving the Earth’s capacity to sustain life in its variety and is based on the principles of: democracy, gender equality, solidarity, governance and respect of all the elementary rights, including the right to freedom, and to equal chances". The goals of eco-development are first of all social goals. They strive to provide human beings with high quality of life, security, sustained and assured fulfillment of physical and psychological needs – but this time through an adequately shaped attitude towards the environment.
The goals of "IT’S OUR EARTH" exhibition are first of all educational.
"IT’S OUR EARTH" is not a step backwards towards a stiff society, it is not against development; it doesn’t criticize technology, nor does it look to apportion blame for the current state of things. It merely tries to wake up the awareness of the viewer that sustaining today’s level of prosperity requires changes to the way we manage our cultural and natural resources, both on the local and the global scale – it requires a shift towards a pro-ecological thinking.
Ecological education is the elementary pre-condition in trying to change the consumptive model of society. The exhibition was prepared because we are aware of the urgent need to implement the eco-development postulates in Poland but most of all, because there is a great need to popularize and explain the concept and the idea of what it means. The exhibition is a message directed at hundreds of thousands of Polish people, which strives to introduce the concept of sustainable development into everyday use and to give it a common use terminology status – so that it starts making a mark on our everyday life.
The exposition is rich and expansive in its form, combining both scientific components, which allow to access detailed information and broad data, together with art components by contemporary conceptual artists, which reflect their individual attitudes towards the issue of ecology. This interesting combination, spreading from information to symbolism is well grounded. "IT’S OUR EARTH" has taken on the challenge of awakening the viewers’ awareness through concrete and alarming facts, to a range of threats brought on by the irresponsible human behavior on Earth. But apart from trying to shape up the state of awareness in the Polish society, it also strives to encourage us to reflection and to taking a creative and constructive stance, which will make it possible to face up to the threats effectively. Promotion of humanitarian values, evoking new convictions and creating new patterns of behavior, all these are as important, as gaining of new knowledge.
The universal and very current topics of the exhibition are directed at a wide group of viewers: children and youth, as well as the adult and mature audience, especially those in employment, who every day make choices and decisions, which impact our country. It will be visited by pupils and students from all level schools, but also whole families, from their youngest to their oldest members.
Trying to reach out to the widest audience, the ‘It's our Earth!’ exhibition uses a broad range of communication tools. Its messages are conveyed through:
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Exhibitions "IT'S OUR EARTH" - Exibition
Exhibitions "IT'S OUR EARTH" - Exibition
