What do you think? Is Christmas sustainable? How would it all work in a changed world?

I think christmas is definitely not sustainable. This is the most unsustainable time of year! People tend to shop unnecessarily which a lot of bags are used and packaging is used. Christmas cards are bought which I personally think are a waste of money because they just get thrown away! Through this a lot of paper and plastic is being wasted. Also throughout Christmas people decorate their houses with lights which obviously uses a vast amount of energy. From the few things I have mentioned it is noticeable how much is consumed, used and wasted just on one occasion.

This does only happen once a year so can be seen as a celebration where the worry of being sustainable doesn’t even come to mind.

In a changed world I think Christmas would be completely different and wouldn’t even feel like Christmas if it wasn’t for the lights, decoration and spending etc.
But who knows maybe it could work! We wont ever know unless the world does change!

To what extent do the best selling UK newspapers cover stories related to serious issues?

The best selling newspapers are not entirely related to serious issues as they are more entertainment newspapers. The papers that are most selling are simply filled with gossip!! It mainly talks about what is going on in the celebrity world paying very little attention to world wide issues. It contains top stories but it does not give the entire facts of what is happening. This focuses more on the celebrity side of things and the latest happenings in the entertainment world rather than actual world wide news and issues.

Newspapers do have a role to deliever news related to serious issues as it is read by a lot of people and they are sold every single day. I think people that buy the tabloid papers are really interested in the latest gossip as people love to hear the latest in peoples lives rather than world news because, they know which paper contains what type of news and issues.

I think the tabloid media and low budget entertainment are very influential and have too much power in our country. If they payed more attention to actually bringing issues into the limelight i.e. wars, serious issues in the world, than celebrity gossip people would become more involved and better informed about the problems in the world. Also people would be more concerned about world issues and want to get involved.

To what extent do you think that it is your duty as a citizen to be 'informed'? Are you informed? How do you get to be informed about serious issues?

As a citizen I think there is a duty for people to be informed about what is happening in the world and what is going on in the places they live. There is always going to be good and bad news but people have a right to know and be informed of issues created in the world. I have been informed mainly by radio and newspapers but, I think part of the responsibility for being informed is down to me as there are many ways in which I can access information to be informed.

I get informed about serious issues via the news channels occassionally as I watch them very rarely, by listening to the radio or simply by word of mouth. I prefer to be informed by radio as I think that’s the fastest way of getting the most up to date news.
I don’t think the complicated decisions should be left up to others just because a lot of people do not understand. I think that if certain issues were made easy for the average person to understand then people would have more of a say. Although some issues are complicated everyone has a right to the decision making as it has an effect on