New Barbie honors Jane Goodall and champions sustainability

When the first Barbie doll emerged on the world stage in 1959, the most common careers for educated women were nurse, teacher or secretary. But Barbie never let anything – even an unrealistic hourglass figure – hold her back. She became an astronaut in 1965, four years before Americans landed on the moon. Now, the pinkish doll is going green. Her 2022 incarnation boasts four new career choices: chief sustainability officer, conservation scientist, renewable energy engineer and environmental advocate. And, coinciding with World Chimpanzee Day on July 14, the new doll honors conservation hero Dr. Jane Goodall.

Dr. Jane Goodall with her Barbie lookalike

Jane Goodall and Barbie

Jane Goodall is famous for her work with wild chimpanzees in Tanzania. In 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute formed to further understand and protect chimpanzees and other apes. Goodall also has a history of being responsive to kids. She founded the Roots and Shoots program in 1991, inspired by local kids in Tanzania who shared their ideas and concerns about the future of the planet with her. So her partnership with a leading toy company is a good fit.

“My entire career, I’ve wanted to help inspire kids to be curious and explore the world around them – just like I did when I first traveled to Tanzania 62 years ago. I’m thrilled to partner with Barbie and encourage young children to learn from their environment and feel a sense that they can make a difference,” said Goodall in a press release. “Through this partnership, I hope to inspire the next generation of eco-leaders to join me in protecting our planet and remind them they can be anything, anywhere – on the field, in the lab, and at the table.”

The Dr. Jane Goodall Barbie release is timed to coincide with both World Chimpanzee Day and the 62-year anniversary of Goodall’s first trip to the forest of Gombe National Park in Tanzania where she did so much of her work. As for the doll, it comes with a pair of binoculars and a little chimp figurine. This Barbie is the latest in Mattel’s Inspiring Women Series. The series pays tribute to influential women in various fields, including Ida B. Wells, Maya Angelou, Billie Jean King and Eleanor Roosevelt.

The Dr. Jane Goodall Barbie with a chimpanzee

Barbie’s career history

The original Barbie, released in March of 1959, wasn’t terribly career-minded. She wore a black and white striped bathing suit and was the first mass-produced toy doll in the U.S. to look like a woman rather than a girl. Ruth Handler, the co-founder of Mattel, came up with the idea and realized little kids liked to imagine the future. The doll let them act out scenarios about what they’d like to do when they grew up.

Handler modeled the adult-looking doll after Bild Lilli, a sexy German doll popular with men as a gag gift. Mattel then bought the rights to the German doll, as the canny Handler recognized the appeal to little girls dreaming of being grown up and glamorous.

While the doll retained her buxom bust, tiny waist and long legs, she soon wanted more from life than a swimsuit, pouty red lips and blue eyeshadow. So she became a career woman. Her 200+ jobs over the years have included a paratrooper (2000), UNICEF ambassador (1989), paleontologist (1996), guest editor of an international fashion magazine (1965), rapper (1992), chicken farmer (2019) and a noodle bar worker (2020). Her jobs generally come with props, such as flashcards and a Spanish quiz for Spanish Teacher Barbie, or a lifeguard chair, life preserver and dolphin for Lifeguard Barbie. She’s been getting more and more into the STEM field since around 2010.

Four eco-leadership Barbie dolls

Barbie’s new environmental careers

The new careers that accompany the Goodall doll come with job descriptions. Kids will learn that, for example, “A Chief Sustainability Officer works with a company or organization to make sure their actions and products are economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable. They also help plan and implement sustainability strategies that include helping a company reduce its environmental impact and developing product that solve problems affecting the planet.”

Renewable Energy Engineer Barbie “supports the use of sustainable forms of energy such as solar power, wind, geothermal or hydroelectric energy. They research ways to reduce the use of fossil fuels and improve energy access by designing machines that generate and distribute renewable sources.”

The Dr. Jane Goodall Barbie and chimp in its box

Personally, I think Environmental Advocate Barbie, who “takes creative action to solve environmental problems in their community and around the world,” presents the best opportunities for dynamic storylines.

“Kids need more role models like Dr. Jane Goodall, because imagining they can be anything is just the beginning – seeing it makes all the difference,” said Lisa McKnight, executive vice president and global head of Barbie and dolls, Mattel, in a press statement. “We hope that this collection and homage to a groundbreaking pioneer for women in science and conservation inspires kids to learn more about green careers, how they can protect the planet, and act out sustainable stories through doll play.”

Outside opinion

The new careers are a nice idea but sound a little high-level to me. As kids, my sisters and I enjoyed hurling Barbie headfirst into the bathtub, which we called High Dive Barbie. Not having reproduced, I asked some of my Facebook friends who are parents whether they thought kids will really focus on the sustainable career aspect of the new dolls.

“It sounds like a marketing concept strictly to capture a new market of parents,” said Kate Sanderson Holly. “It will not change how the dolls are played with at all. They will still have their hair chopped off, sharpie on their face and diving contests.” Another Facebook friend said that her grown daughter, now an engineer, appreciated Barbie and Bratz for cute clothes and pink cars. Of course, there may be outliers who use their dolls to construct windmills or install solar panels.

Eco plastic

By now you might be asking yourself: if Barbie is a chief sustainability officer, how can she be, well, plastic? Is she a hypocrite? No, she’s not. In keeping with Mattel’s goal of using 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials in all products and packaging by 2030, the new Barbie is certified CarbonNeutral and made from recycled ocean-bound plastic. To achieve the certification, Mattel bought carbon offsets from the Ghana Community Reforestation, Mississippi Valley Reforestation and Australia Native Forest Restoration projects. According to the press release, “Doll plastic parts made from 90% plastic sourced within 50 km of waterways in areas lacking formal waste collection systems.” Doll head, hair, shoes, tablet and beach lantern accessory excluded. Way to go, Barbie!

Via History

Images via Jane Goodall Institute and Mattel

from INHABITAT https://ift.tt/nT23euf
via IFTTT

Comentarios

imagenes del medio ambiente para dibujar

5 Benefits of Drip Irrigation Systems

If you want a stunning yard and a low water bill, a drip irrigation system could be for you. Image: Jacky Parker Photography/Getty Images If you live in one of the parts of the country that’s been struggling with drought (or you just don’t want to spend a fortune on your water bill), you’ve probably felt that you face a choice with your outdoor areas. You can either be water conscious or have a beautiful, lush yard, right? When you’ve opted for traditional irrigation systems like sprinkler heads, that’s often true. But, good news, that’s not your only option as far as types of irrigation systems go. If you want a beautiful yard without the high water usage — and resulting bill! — a drip irrigation system could be just what you need. What is a drip irrigation system? This way to water your plants uses dripped water. A drip irrigation system runs either a perforated hose or drip emitters (connected by a hose) under the soil throughout your planting bed. Water drips through small h

New riverside development in China will be an urban renewal

Architects VenhoevenCS have won a major riverside redevelopment in Shenzhen, China . They hope to protect large areas of land from flooding while also creating a vibrant new urban identity for the Bao’an district. The Pailao River Blueway Project constitutes a new biodiverse landscape along the central Pailoa River, an area under rapid urban development where rainfall intensity is increasing. Architects are using this project to design with the water instead of against it. It includes elements such as ponds, green roofs, urban farming plots, wetlands and soft banks, contributing to a natural sponge effect to absorb excess water from the river . Related: 100-year-old railway yard turned into a green space VenhoevenCS also has their sights set on integrating urban regeneration in the area. They have planned cultural and social spaces, including pavilions and parks for cyclists and pedestrians. The design illustrates their nature-inclusive approach, reshaping how humans and the natu

Say hello to the new Toyota electric vehicle, the bZ4X

Toyota is trying to win the electric vehicle game with a stylish new SUV loaded with techy features. The all-electric bZ4X will be rolling onto the lots of U.S. auto dealers this spring. If the name doesn’t immediately strike you as catchy, it might help to understand that “bZ” stands for “beyond zero.” The bZ4X is the first of seven in Toyota’s new line of bZ vehicles. That’s seven out of 15 BEVs, to throw another acronym at you. BEVs are battery electric vehicles, as opposed to HEVs (hybrid electric vehicles) or PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles). Related: Consider these factors before buying an electric vehicle All these Vs will help speed Toyota toward its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Already, Toyota has more than 20 million models on the world’s roads. The company has pledged to invest another $70+ billion in EVs over the next nine years. So, back to the bZ4X. According to Toyota, the new “BEV-dedicated platform, a first for Toyota, was developed with Subaru

NASA to test the world's first electric airplane

NASA has shared details of its new all-electric plane that is set to take off to the sky this fall. The plane is designed to run fully on electric batteries , departing from the tradition of fuel-powered planes. If all goes well, this will be the first step toward achieving a cleaner, cheaper, and quieter future for aviation. Known as the X-57, the plane is lightweight compared to traditional planes . Its weight helps it use less power over the same distance compared to its equal fuel-powered planes. Further, the plane produces less noise as compared to fuel-powered options. According to NASA, the plane is currently being prepared for initial tests, which will be conducted in the desert east of Los Angeles. Related: Rolls-Royce unveils prototype for world’s fastest electric plane The plane borrows its design from a four-seater plane constructed by the Italian Tecnam corporation. The main reason for this is to help in comparison of the two models of the design. The experts at NASA w

Biomimicry house hints at a solution to the climate crisis

Houses separate us from nature. At least, that’s the idea we’ve had until now. Architecture that uses biomimicry , permaculture and related practices to keep nature in our building spaces offers a green alternative. B+H Architects Director of Biomimicry Jamie Miller is an advocate of sustainable building practices like biomimicry to help with the climate crisis. Biomimicry creates an architectural option that keeps us connected to nature, without removing the biodiversity from the spaces where we live and work. Now the B+H Architects’ newest residential project shows us how a home can blend right into nature itself. Related: It looks like a shark fin and helps urban river flooding A house that disappears into the landscape “Imagine stepping inside a house that disappears into a forest all without ever leaving the city,” B+H said. A landowner in Bengaluru, India wanted to achieve just that, connecting his home to nature within a dense urban area. He didn’t just want to live wit

What are stellar earthquakes that make stars move?

What are stellar earthquakes that make stars move? The Gaia mission of the European Space Agency revealed the earthquakes that occur thousands of light years away. Argentine astronomers explain the scope of this space telescope and its discoveries. In 2013 the European Space Agency (ESA), launched a unique space mission: the Gaia space observatory, a spacecraft designed specifically for astrometry: the science that measures the positions, distances and motions of stars with a precision never seen before. Scientists say the mission aims to build the largest and most accurate 3D space catalog ever made of the observable universe, with a total of approximately two billion astronomical objects, mainly stars, but also planets, comets, asteroids and quasars, among other fascinating objects in the vastness of space. This week, ESA released a new update of data collected by Gaia in the last three years, after having observed 10 million stars and space objects, which led to the publication of s

Bananatex launches a sustainable material revolution at Milan Design Week

A party of three has collaborated to create a multi-purpose material sourced entirely from banana leaves. Swiss bag brand QWSTION, a yarn specialist from Taiwan, and a Taiwanese weaving partner spent four years developing the new material, which is being revealed at the 2019 Milan Design Week. The strong, flexible material, called Banantex, offers a new universal option in the search for sustainable materials . Beginning at the source, the banana leaves come from a natural ecosystem of sustainable forestry in the Philippines. The banana trees grow naturally without the use of pesticides or other chemicals. Plus, they do not require any additional water. The banana plants are a boon to an area previously eroded by palm plantations, bringing back vegetation and a livelihood for local farmers. Related: See how banana trees are recycled into vegan “leather” wallets in Micronesia With a long history of creating materials from sustainable resources, QWSTION saw the strength and dura

Diet for Depression: 8 Foods To Eat And Avoid

According to the World Health Organization, more than 264 million people suffer from depression globally. [1] Symptoms of depression can include sadness, lethargy and a general loss of interest in life. There are a number of ways to combat this and a diet for depression can help not only your mental health but your well-being as well. In fact, a 2017 study found that the symptoms of people with moderate-to-severe depression improved when they received nutritional counseling sessions and ate a more healthful diet for 12 weeks. [2] Just imagine having higher levels of optimism, energy, positivity, focus, and a greater interest in life. Well, you can. Making some adjustments to your diet can help with your depression. Not only are there foods that you could eat to help with your depression but there are foods that you should avoid. Foods That Help With Depression 1. Oily Fish Oily fish such as salmon, sardines, herring, light tuna and mackerel are a healthy source of Vitamin D. [3]

New biofabricated clothing made from algae goes through photosynthesis just like plants

There are a products that completely revolutionize the fashion industry for their eco-friendly approach and innovative vision. Although the fashion industry has made strides over the past few years in terms of sustainable clothing production, there is still a long ways to go. Thankfully, a handful of designers are coming up with incredibly innovative solutions to really change the concept of eco-fashion . One such visionary is Canadian-Iranian designer Roya Aghighi , whose new line of clothing, Biogarmentry, is made from algae that turns carbon dioxide into oxygen via photosynthesis. Made in collaboration with University of British Colombia (UBC) and Emily Carr Univeristy, the Biogarmentry line is a revolutionary design within the world of eco-fashion . While most sustainable designers are searching for fabrics that don’t harm the environment, Aghighi went straight to the environment for her unique fabric, using living, photosynthetic cells in its design. Related: SAOLA offers su

Eco Vlog News

Welcome to my Vlog about the environment and general news related to it. The advancement of technology and the expansion of the human being are inevitable and an essential mark left by progress as a race, but it is important in the process not to lose respect for the environment and the world in which we live. Become aware of its deterioration as an initial measure to begin to become aware of how to take care of it. For these reasons, our little grain of sand as a contribution to an ecological blog in which we offer you the latest Internet news as a reference so that you can inform yourself and become aware of it. In the articles you can find the respective news sources and most current magazines on which the subject in question is being addressed.

Eco-Vlog

Buscar este blog