Hello Earthwatchers (and potential Music & Literature category entrants). The Music & Literature category is another broad category, which means you can be as creative as you like. However, we understand how that can be kind of overwhelming. In this post, we explore some great examples of how music and literature have helped highlight an environmental issue/solution. With any luck, they'll help inspire your own entries.
Cuyahoga by REM
The Cuyahoga River (Ohio, US) was a huge pollution problem which caught fire in 1969 (once referred to by mayor as 'an open sewer through the center of the city'). Pictures of the river catching fire, due to the huge and 'over the top' pollution, circulated around the country and this actually inspired the 'Clean Water Act' in the US. REM was inspired to write the song 'Cuyahoga' to highlight the significance of this pollution and ignite further change.
The Stockman's Grandson by Lachy John (Student Challenge Participant)
Lachy John was a part of the Student Challenge Expedition in 2016 and was inspired by his experience at Calperum Station to write this song about his late Grandfather who he discovered was a jackaroo there. What a great example of taking your Student Challenge experience and applying it to something new!
Other Songs with Environmental Themes:
Earth Song by Michael Jackson
Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
Down to Earth by Peter Gabriel (From the film WALL-E)
Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer
To Be Free by Passenger
Don't Go Near the Water by The Beach Boys
Poems & Short Stories to Inspire:
Warned and Awareness About Our Environment by Sylvia Stults
Can Earth be Earth? by Garvit
Stories of Nature from Japan by Nitin Das
The Environment Blog
Further Examples and Project Ideas
A Magazine/Newspaper article on the pros and cons of single-use plastic
A Cli-Fiction piece
A Song Composition including sounds of the forest