One of the most frequent activities we present at schools, in workshops, and conferences (Zoe even mentions it in
her first TEDx talk, The World Becomes What You Teach) is our activity True Price.
We share it so often because it's the keystone humane activity: It has the capacity to address all the issues that we talk about in humane education; it asks core questions about how we create a better world, and it does so through the particulars of everyday items we can relate to; it can be used by any educator for almost any age; it can be adapted and customized for numerous situations; and it can serve as a single activity, as a course, as a theme for an entire year of school, or even as the underlying focus for the whole curriculum.
True Price QuestionsAt its most basic, True Price asks us to examine a product, such as a bottle of water, a fast food cheeseburger, or a T-shirt, and ask a series of questions.
1. Is the item a want or a need?The point of this question isn't to make us feel judged about what we consider a want or need, but to help us unpack what is truly vital to our well-being and happiness. We might also have different criteria for whether certain kinds of objects are a need. For example, some people may consider products like a car, a computer, and a cell phone indispensable. And the way we'd categorize those items might be different from the way we'd categorize an item of clothing.
2. What are the effects, both positive and negative, on you, other people, animals, and the environment?This question helps us think deeply, broadly, and critically about all the various impacts of a product throughout its entire lifecycle.
3. What systems support, promote & perpetuate this item?This is a complicated question because our systems are very complex and there are so many underlying systems involved in the production, distribution, use, and disposal of the products we use. We can change our personal choices, but we also need to address the underlying systems involved.
4. What would be an alternative, or a change to a system, that would do more good and less harm?When we can make choices that do more good and less harm (MOGO choices), that's great. But, many times there
is no such choice available. There may be no MOGO cell phone, car, or health care plan, for example. So, it's important that we look at what changes in systems would help do more good & less harm and would also lead to humane and sustainable items becoming ubiquitous.
A True Price ExampleIHE faculty led this activity at our recent residency for our graduate students. Here are the responses from one group of students, who briefly explored the impacts of soda in a plastic bottle.
1. Is it a want or a need?
It's a want.
2a. What are the positive effects?
caffeine kick; pleasure; jobs; the company does philanthropy; you could repurpose the plastic bottle for building material (e.g., creating a light source).
2b. What are some of the negative effects?obesity & other negative health effects; plastic is a carcinogen; plastic waste; pollution; the amount of oil used; oil spills that kill animals & destroy habitat; animals consume plastic; habitat destruction, etc.
3. What systems support, promote & perpetuate this item?economy, cultural, peer pressure, marketing/ads, multinational corporations, globalization
4. What would be an alternative or a change to a system, that would do more good and less harm?personally: tap water from a reusable glass;
systemically: create a healthier recipe? bring more work back to the U.S.? more corporate responsibility? incentives to phase out unhealthy drinks & the use of disposable plastics?
Questions After the Activity:After doing the True Price activity at residency, students explored the seemingly contradictory facts that there's so much we don't know about the products and services we use; and, we also have a belief that we "know" a lot of facts and information, but that "knowledge" hasn't actually come from a deep investigation of, say, research in peer-reviewed journals. We've claimed these beliefs and this knowledge based on what we've heard or read about what others have heard or read.
True Price, then, forces us to look deeper and more critically at not just the impacts of these products on people, animals, and the planet, but also at our own beliefs and assumptions about what we think we know.
True Price can be used at home, in classrooms, and even at work, as each of us examines the consequences of our decisions and systems and seeks creative solutions that benefit all.
~ Marsha
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ethics /
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