If there’s any news where an overdose is a good thing to report, this might be it, as consumer rights activists worldwide are being challenged to participate in a global ‘overdose’ on homeopathic pills, in order to raise public awareness that the remedies are in fact worthless.
The ’10:23 Challenge‘, a worldwide event this February 5th at 10:23am, is a follow-up to the protest staged by the 10:23 Campaign in the UK, which saw almost 400 demonstrators take to the streets across UK to voice their concern at the sales of the pills in leading pharmacy ‘Boots’, and the support for such ‘remedies’ on the NHS.
With over 60 cities all over the world already confirmed, the global overdose is also the prelude to the demonstration in Manchester on February 6th, with over 300 protesters participating the largest ever single demonstration against homeopathy.
The 10:23 Campaign is an international movement headed by the Merseyside Skeptics Society, which aims to raise awareness of homeopathy, a multi-million pound industry based on a long-discredited 18th century ritual, selling remedies to the public which have no scientific basis and no credible evidence for their efficacy beyond the placebo effect. You can find out more about the campaign at www.1023.org.uk/ or become a fan on Facebook.
This new site takes an unusual but increasingly common approach to good causes – commerce. The Girl Store allows you to buy the items girls in India need to be able to access education, and thus avoid an early marriage. The online shop was recently complemented by the opening of a pop-up shop in New York. It’s an interesting, controversial and simplistic approach which I am sure would not be popular among NGO’s here in the UK. I also wonder whether the commercial model really touches our natural altruism, or subverts it? What do you think?
With Christmas just around the corner, are you excited by the prospect of getting an iPad from someone you love? Are you planning to surprise the family by finally upgrading to high-definition TV?
Everyone wants the latest technology to take advantage of the amazing world of evolving media that are out there. But our hunger for cheap, quickly obsolescent electronics, has many hidden costs to the environment and human health. To make people more aware of e-waste, Greenpeace recently released its latest installment in the Story of Stuff Project, “The Story of Electronics”:
It’s long, but completely worth it! There’s a longer, and interactive, version at the Story of Stuff site.
Alex Bogusky, founding partner of creative powerhouse Crispin Porter + Bogusky and AdWeek’s Creative Director of the Decade, is not in advertising anymore. Earlier his year, he quit the wildly successful agency that bears his name and turned his back on clients like Burger King and Domino’s Pizza. But he did even more than turn his back on corporate America: he turned against it.
After speaking out against various consumerism issues with guests on his surprisingly relaxed and low-budget show on YouTube (the exact opposite of a succinct, slick 30-second spot) Bogusky yesterday launched Fearless Revolution, “Insurgents in the new consumer revolution”.
Have a look at this new social-media-based campaign from WSPA. It’s protesting against the new ‘super-dairy’ being planned here in the UK. Interestingly they are trying to create a new terminology – such as ‘factory milk’ and ‘battery cows’. Do you think it works? Will these new terms enter the language and change the way people think about cows and milk in the same way they’ve done for chickens and eggs? And what do you think about the approach – can social media campaigns work without a compelling piece of content to share?
A new episode from the The Story of Stuff Project. This time host Annie Leonard tells The Story of Cosmetics. The story, released today, examines the pervasive use of toxic chemicals in our everyday personal care products, from lipstick to baby shampoo.
Produced by the Free Range Studios the seven-minute film reveals the implications for consumer and worker health and the environment, and outlines ways we can move the industry away from hazardous chemicals and towards safer alternatives. The film concludes with a call for viewers to support legislation aimed at ensuring the safety of cosmetics and personal care products.
The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) have awarded their poster competition prize to a Croatian design duo who created a poster out of garbage to proclaim their message of sustainability.
“Our process of thought started with the five basic needs of every human being: water, food, health, a home, and energy. As we believe industrial design can fulfill these needs, and the perfect way to do it is through the development of recycling and reusable energy technologies… We found that the only way the illustration could follow the meaning of the copy, is if the copy was indeed made out of old, thrown away items. For each of the five basic human needs, we chose a few corresponding items that we collected from our basements, attics and garbage disposal units.”
How to dissuade people from drink-driving? Add the true cost to their drinks bill. Nice live idea that could be used for many, many real-life scenarios where the true cost of our actions aren’t passed on to us.
Why do we prefer iPods to conversation? Why do we have more friends on Facebook than in real life? When did we stop letting our kids walk to school?
YMCA of Greater Vancouver (Can) and TBWA\Vancouver have created a campaign about the state of our community.
Seems that over the past couple of decades, we’ve been spending more time at work, less time with our families, and less time doing physical activities. Obesity is up, internet usage is way up, and participation in sports is way down. Maybe it’s time to go back to a time when we knew the mailman, we knew our neighbours, and we felt safe in our own neighbourhoods.
What’s wrong with this seemingly healthy refreshment? You’ll be shocked to find out that it’s often less clean, less tasty, and way more polluting than the water from your tap. This is the story that water bottlers Coke, Pepsi, and Nestlé don’t want you to hear—but thanks to Annie, millions of you will.
The Story of Bottled Water is the second in a series of six short films the Story of Stuff Project is releasing over the coming year with Free Range Studios and more than a dozen of the world’s leading sustainability organizations.
For this video the partners are: Corporate Accountability International, Environmental Working Group, Food & Water Watch, Pacific Institute, and Polaris Institute.
I recently had the privilege of being invited to speak and participate in the 2012 Design Ethos Conference/Do-ference at Savannah College of Art and Design. The creator of the conference, Scott Boylston, is a longtime friend in the relatively small socially conscious design community and I was delighted that…
Some things in life are easy. We know them, we think of them, we understand them. And then there are those phenomena we would rather not know about. All the bad things … murder, rape, child molestation. We try hard to look away, and most of the time we…
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Osocio is dedicated to social advertising and non-profit campaigns. It’s the place where marketing and activism collide. Formerly known as the Houtlust Blog, Osocio is the central online hub for advertisers, ad agencies, grassroots, activists, social entrepreneurs, and good Samaritans from around the globe.
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