What’s bothering Franke James?

Lindsay Borthwick ( Bio  /   Posts )  |  Wednesday, June 29, 2011 UTC

Are you ever annoyed by your “green” conscience—that voice inside your head that nags when you forget to bring reusable bags to the grocery store or leave the tap running for too long? Artist-activist Franke James’ was, so she combined her numerous talents to produce Bothered By My Green Conscience, a book of five visual essays about her mid-life struggle to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle and confront today’s most pressing environmental issues.

With this graphic novel, James pioneered a way of communicating about a cause that’s neither impersonal nor chronically negative—two words so often associated with the way we talk about the environment.

The novel’s pages are a pastiche of colorful illustrations, photographs and script. In some ways, the visuals are just the supporting act. It’s James’ storytelling that most resonates, probably because she keeps them personal—humorously chronicling her own musings, misconceptions and moments of discovery.

Tzeporah Berman, co-director of the climate and energy program for Greenpeace International, sums up James this way: “She has a rare ability to sweep past the polarization and complexity of critical issues and shine a stark spotlight without over simplifying.”

Here’s a peak inside. It all started with “Paradise Unpaved,” which recounts James’ much-publicized battle with local politicians over her plan to build a green driveway. (Unlike the slabs of asphalt most of us know, green driveways are made to be permeable, allowing storm water to seep through into the ground rather than running off into the sewer system.)

“The Real Poop on Social Change” wrestles with the ideas Malcolm Gladwell (PopTech 2004) and Mark Kingwell  posited on what motivates people to change the way they live. James’ reminds us that we’ve only been stooping and scooping since the late ’70s, but today few dog owners would dare not pick up after their dog. Could this or more dramatic examples of behavior change—think drinking and driving—teach us how to develop into more eco-conscious citizens?

And in “To My Future Grandkids in 2020,” James wonders what her generation’s environmental legacy will be.

With the book behind her, James hasn’t slowed down. She’s been publishing new essays online and recently, she’s branched into video, creating a video diary called “Who Cares About the Forest,” for which she journeyed into the boreal forest in search of the answer. Fortunately, she posts most of her work on her website and tweets daily (@frankejames). Stay tuned, too, for details on an upcoming exhibition she's putting together.

Images: Franke James

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