Powerful Images Demonstrate That by Destroying Nature, We Are Destroying Life Itself

Art is often used as a means to raise awareness of the acute problems humanity faces today. Environmental issues, being one of the most significant of them, inspire illustrators and graphic designers all over the world to address these matters in their artwork. From drawings that show the damage the human race has done to each sphere of Earth to the illustrations that reveal a true face of war, all these stunning pieces of art serve the same purpose – to expose the absurdity of what’s happening in the world today and to encourage people to be the change.

Today, we are featuring a series of thought-provoking images titled “Destroying Nature is Destroying Life.” This awareness campaign was created by designer Surachai Puthikulangkura and agency Grabarz & Partner for German environmental activist group Robin Wood.

The title of the campaign speaks for itself, and the pictures convey a powerful message: if humans continue to destroy Earth’s natural habitats, constantly exhausting their resources, life on the planet, including our own species, will eventually be wiped out.

To demonstrate the detrimental effects of human activity on the natural world, the images depict three different landscapes that have undergone most of the damage. Each of those is represented by an animal that comes from the respective habitat.

Thus, in the pictures below, you can see the icy landscape of the Arctic with melting glaciers, which is caused by the climate change. Factors like greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation make average atmospheric temperatures constantly increase. As a result, polar bears and other Arctic animals are being threatened.

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The effects of deforestation

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The catastrophic consequences of fires, associated with human activity, on tropical rainforests

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There is real scientific evidence behind the striking images of this awareness campaign, as a recent study concluded that our planet is now entering the sixth mass extinction. It is estimated that due to the human impact on the natural environment, the vertebrate species are now disappearing up to 100 times faster than the normal. At the same time, the loss of habitat, caused by human industrial activities, has, in fact, lead to the extinction of 52% of wildlife in the world. It seems that we humans have reached the point where the deadly consequences of our actions are no longer reversible.

These powerful images demonstrate that we are the reason for all the problems that plague our planet today. Yet, they also remind us that we are the only ones who can do something about it and save life on Earth while it’s still possible.

Credits: TheMindUnleashed

The network marketing business model explained

There is a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to the network marketing business model. However I believe that most people are so scared by the stigma of network marketing that they don’t even look at the business model properly. In future posts we’re going to look at some of the other issues but first I want to get clear about the overall ways things work.

The difference between selling via retailers and direct to consumer

In the traditional business model a company will manufacture products, send them to a distributor who supplies them to a retailer who finally sells them to the consumer. In network marketing (or direct selling) the manufacturer simply sells directly to the consumer. You can see this model at work in another form with the computer company Dell that manufactures laptops and sells them directly to consumers via their website.

Selling straight to the consumer cuts out the middle men in the supply chain and this saves the company a ton of money. People usually don’t appreciate that even just the retailers’ mark up is usually about 50% of the products’ final sale price. They need to charge this to pay for sales staff, premises etc.

How a company markets its products

In order to sell directly to the consumer the company can either spend their money on traditional advertising like TV, radio, newspapers etc (which can also be very expensive) or adopt a network marketing model. In a network marketing model the company finds independent distributors and pays a commission to them based on how much product they sell. This means the money normally spend on the supply chain and marketing can now go to the independent distributors.

The independent distributors are usually also consumers of the products (after all why would you promote something that you didn’t believe in enough to use yourself?). The distributors are people who believe in the product enough to want to promote it to other people. They earn a commission for their sales and marketing efforts.

Building a traditional sales team versus a network marketing sales team

In a traditional business the company usually recruits sales staff to sell its products. It relies on marketing to get people interested and has its sales team waiting to answer phones or at a retail location. These salespeople are sometimes paid on commission but will probably have a fixed salary as well plus the company is paying for the premises that the sales team work from.

In network marketing the company are always looking for more people who believe in the product and want to become independent distributors themselves. So distributors are given tools to find other like-minded people who might also want to become distributors as well. When a distributor sponsors a new distributor they also get a commission on the sales of that new distributor which varies based on the compensation plan of the company.

Both the traditional business and the network marketing business are building a sales team. They’re just going about it in different ways based on what they believe is the most effective for their company.

Some benefits of the network marketing model

Because sponsoring distributors are also paid commission based on the sales of the new distributor this encourages the sponsoring distributor to train the new distributor so their business is a success as well. In this way network marketing creates a network of like-minded people who are continuously helping other members of their team to create a more successful business. So rather than view a new distributor as competition (like traditional sales people based solely on commission) it is just like adding a new salesperson to your team that you can leverage.

Hence if the network marketing model and compensation plan are structured correctly it creates a team of people all working to promote the company’s products together. Of course different companies have different models so this is not a general rule with every company you see.

Problems with the network marketing model

A common problem with network marketing that was far more prevalent in the past is the variety of different models and structures used. Many looked fancy on paper but when push came to shove they fell over. However with new compensation structures and the maturity of the network marketing model things are very different these days.

Obviously you will have to do your own due diligence with the network marketing company you are looking to join to ensure their compensation plan is fair and does not create a spirit of competition between distributors. Plus there are also get rich quick schemes disguised as network marketing which start out with a bang and end with a bankruptcy or owners fleeing the country.

This means you have to be careful which company you’re choosing to work with. Make sure they have a proven track record as it’s often the “latest and greatest opportunity” where you can “get in on the ground floor” where the problems occur.

The moral of the story when choosing network marketing

Network marketing is an industry and within that industry there are good and bad examples of the model. Just like in real estate you can get good and bad deals and in business you can get good or bad businesses. I’m not saying anything labelled network marketing is automatically good but I find it to be a very smart and effective model when used correctly by an ethical company.

Just do your due diligence and make sure you’re working with a company you can trust.

MLM Compagny example: HERE

20 Chilling Photos that will Force You to Look at the Darker Side of Our Society

Igor Morski, a Polish graphic designer, illustrator and set designer, is a well-known artist for exploring the not so subtle horrors of modern society through his controversial illustrations. In the below thought-provoking photo series System Failure, he makes you think: Is the earth a scary place, or have we become too dangerous for the planet? Is the technology bringing us closer or have we become too ‘smart’; addictive and therefore distinct from each other? Are we actually living our dreams, or are we killing ourselves trying to meet other people’s expectations? Are we succumbing to outer beauty and fads than our inner calling and beliefs? Are we emotionally connected, or are today’s relationships a lie? Are we being humans, or busy being demons…?

Bored Panda observes:

“They might make you uncomfortable, or create that funny feeling in the pit of your stomach, but I would argue that this is probably a good thing, that it suggests the images resonate on a deeper level. Art is supposed to evoke something within us. Morski’s creative expression outlines concepts and ideas in our modern society that perhaps we are not privy to because we’re just ‘so in it’.”

The beauty of these photos is that they are open for interpretation. You can interpret them the way you want, and they will reflect your truth. Here’s our interpretation…

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Human body or a junkyard?

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What you are addicted to, kills you in the end.

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When the society decides what SHOULD you be when you grow up… and imprisons your body, mind and soul

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Being a girl in a boy’s world

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Puppets of our own choices

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We are the environment: we can either preserve it or destroy it… the power is within us

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The concrete jungle we call our home: unattractive, harsh, grey and unsafe.

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Prisoner of our thoughts

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When emotions die and technology takes over

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We have far too much control over the world – and we don’t quite know what to do with it.

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It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad, world… and it needs to cool down

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How technology permeates, and invades…

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Becoming one with nature

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Women are not equal to men; they are superior. But does it count?

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We are made of earth. When we die we will return to the earth. But, in the meantime, life is a beautiful dance.

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Time moves faster… we can’t outdo it

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An incredibly confused brain… working 24/7, yet going nowhere

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Throwing her days away thinking one day she will throw her weight away… [ Currently, 80% of women in the US are dissatisfied with their appearance].

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Who is burning who?

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When families fake and break…children suffer

Credits: anonhq.com