Dee's Documentary on the Effects of Consumerism

Danielle Dee Start Date: Nov 16, 2019 - End Date: Mar 14, 2020
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Vacation/Personal Trip
  • Volunteer Trip
  • China
  • India
  • Costa Rica
  • Ecuador
  • Guatemala
  • Spain
  • Italy
  • Mexico
  • Vietnam
  • Bali, Indonesia
  • Thailand
  • Philippines
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh

My Travel Story

by: Danielle Dee Start Date: Nov 16, 2019 - End Date: Mar 14, 2020
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Vacation/Personal Trip
  • Volunteer Trip
HELP US TRAVEL THE WORLD FOR ONE YEAR TO FILM A DOCUMENTARY ON HOW CONSUMERISM AFFECTS THE WORLD!

I am a third generation Chinese American (on my mom's side). My grandma came to the US on a boat from a fishing village in the Guangdong region of southern China. She was a farmer and a sweatshop seamstress. She came to the US for better opportunities for herself and her family.

In 2014, I graduated with a M.A. in Human Development and Food Security in Rome, Italy. My thesis was focused on how consumerism affects rural areas of China. At the time, I couldn't afford to go to China and fully dive into my research. I ended up interviewing migrants from China in San Francisco's Chinatown, where I spent much of my youth.

I already knew it, but from everything I researched, it became even more clear that globalization was ruining our earth and the conditions for people on it. Most of the world relies on China's products, most of which are not sustainable or made with sustainable energy. The factories in China are dumping so many toxins into the water, air and soil, that conditions are becoming unlivable. Some villages have even become dubbed "cancer villages", with up to 75% of villagers sick with cancer due to lack of enforcement of environmental regulations.

Even though I read these facts, to connect with the migrants I interviewed was SO meaningful and SO important. Not only did it give them hope to share their story, but I got to feel their story.

AND I WANT YOU TO ALSO!

I want to share people's STORIES! I want to go all over the world, with my camera and my child.

We'll go where products come from and where they end up. I want to talk to people that import so many things, and are so disconnected to the earth, that they don't remember what it's like to touch the dirt. I also want to go to places that live closely with the earth, and see what it's like when they live completely off the fat of the land.

I want to know where the food at Safeway came from- did trained monkeys harvest the Thai coconuts? Did underpaid labor harvest the pesticide-ridden produce? I want to know where my clothes came from, the seamstress that sewed my garmets (maybe from my grandma's village) and what conditions they're living in. I want to know where my phone/computer/camera came from, and where it goes when it dies- is poor child labor going through our e-waste? Where is all of our recycling actually going? Are Italians aware of where their prized coffee comes from? What is it like to harvest all of the foods that I love buying from the store? HELP ME EXPLORE!

My plan is to travel for one year, and spend 2 weeks to 1-2 months in each region for research and documentation. Countries include: China, India, Vietnam, Bali, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Bangladesh, Spain, Italy, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico

I'd love to travel the world with my child to places that are affected by globalization, and share their story with YOU. Will you help that happen?
  • China
  • India
  • Costa Rica
  • Ecuador
  • Guatemala
  • Spain
  • Italy
  • Mexico
  • Vietnam
  • Bali, Indonesia
  • Thailand
  • Philippines
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh

More Travel Information

Adventure Registry

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  • GoPro

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  • 2 Travel Towels

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  • Hook on chair/Portable Booster

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  • Baby Sun Hat

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  • Baby Water Shoes

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  • Silicone Baby Placemat

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  • Ergo Baby Carrier

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