Browsing by Author "Simmer, Garret"

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    Hollywood's Hidden Cost: The Environmental Impacts of the Movies
    (University of Oregon, 2023) Simmer, Garret; Rust, Stephen
    In today’s highly digitized world, we are constantly consuming media. We watch so many movies and TV shows, listen to so much music, and scroll through so much social media that we have become numb to it. Just as we are numb to how much time we spend on these things, we also are numb to the impact they are having. Every movie you watch costs thousands, if not millions, of dollars to produce, but it also costs a significant amount of fossil fuels, natural resources, and in some cases it may even lead to direct ecological damage. In this thesis, I explore several examples of popular films to come closer to understanding the environmental costs of movies. This research is important because as we move into the future and try to create a more sustainable world, we need to examine every aspect of our economy and determine the environmental costs of products more accurately. This research on movies is just one small piece of the global sustainability puzzle, yet it is a piece that often is overlooked, so it is about time we focus more attention on it. This process includes not only examining the resources that were used to create a movie, but also the message of a movie and the impact that message has on the public. Some movies may have a large cost on the environment during the production phase, but have a positive message which encourages people to take environmental action. Therefore, we must consider both aspects when analyzing a movie. Ultimately, this thesis demonstrates that we can improve the film industry in the future and concludes that there are several methods we can use to make it more sustainable. I conclude that there are four key ways that we can make the film industry more sustainable: sustainability teams, less filming on location, recycling of sets and costumes, and CGI servers powered by renewable energy.
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    The 2008 Financial Crisis and the Breakdown of Democracy in Venezuela
    (University of Oregon, 2020) Laus, Jonathan; Simmer, Garret; Vogel, Matthias
    This project highlights the economic policies adopted by the Venezuelan government during and after the 2008 financial crisis. To gain an understanding of the experience felt in Venezuela, we utilize publications from Venezuela. From newspapers published there to academic reports from an international perspective, our study will illuminate how Venezuelan democracy eroded through the breakdown of institutions following economic collapse. This project’s aims are to identify some of the root causes for the Venezuelan economic crisis and the sustained disparity experienced by the Venezuelan people. We are going to show the connection between economic and political issues and their impact on political efficacy in a democracy. Our results show: as Venezuela's economy experienced greater economic strife, the government was able to take more drastic action threatening its democracy. When considering relevant concepts such as globalization, media’s influence, and regional issues, it becomes clear that Venezuela’s backslide into authoritarianism was inextricably linked to not only the national economy but the global economy’s slide into a recession.