The trick with banknotes still works

It’s an old trick but it still appears to work. The trick with banknotes on the street, with a message on the back.
Here it is an anti-littering campaign done in Beirut Lebanon by a group of graphic design students. They call themselves Metel Ma Shelta (Just as You Picked it Up). 

The text on the banknote: “Just as you picked this up… you can pick up litter from the streets”

Campaigning can be so easy. The Facebook Page of Metel Ma Shelta already have over 2,800 likes and is shared many times.

This is their statement:

As we were strolling around the beautiful streets of Hamra, we witness a man pulling his arm outside the window of his car to throw a tissue paper. What upset us the most was that this was happening across Lebanon and we weren’t able to do anything about it.
We, as graphic designers decided to use what we’re best at (our witty minds and shiny tools) to visually express our frustration regarding the littering issue in Lebanon.
Since people nowadays are immune to flyers, we thought of creating something irresistible that no one can overlook. Mmmm, so what can be irresistible to every individual on this planet...That’s when it hit us like a lightning bolt!
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!

What happens when an old robot falls in love with a beautiful doll?

“Gift of Life” is a film about an old robot and a beautiful doll, directed by A/F Benaza for Manikako, and sponsored by Energizer.

Manikako is a Filipino organization that teaches children how to make their own dolls from old clothes and recycled materials. It offers free doll-making workshops to less-fortunate Filipino children, helping them rediscover creativity, resourcefulness and environmental responsibility--values which can help them rise above poverty.

At the Manikako workshop, a Manika (doll) is transformed into a Manikako (my doll).
Manikako believe the world becomes a better place when making beautiful things for someone else. The Manikako staff will guide the participants throughout the workshop, sharing doll-making tips, sewing techniques, and a story or two.

See the film after the break

Oil on Canvas #artivism

“Oil drilling is a reckless, dangerous, unpredictable proces and this project illustrates just very simply what can go wrong and how drastically effect an ecosystem.”
That is a quote from a visitor at the Oil on Canvas exhibition last week in Auckland New Zealand.
The video is an impression of the artwork showed at the exhibition organized by Greenpeace.

The oil prints featured in this exhibition were made with birds killed by the Rena oil spill. They are just two of an estimated 20,000 birds killed after the shipwrecked Rena spilled 350 tonnes of oil into the Bay of Plenty.
These works were created in a collaboration between Greenpeace and Publicis Mojo.

More at the campaign website.
Two more videos after the break.

Biking isn’t dirty

Great action from Brazil done by a group of friends called Mudanca.
They want people to bike instead of driving a car. It is cleaner as they sweep.

The stencilled text: “Bike não suja tanto” which means “Cycling isn’t this dirty”.
How can we name this urban intervention? Dirty finger stencil activism?

Related post, also from Brazil:
Art less pollution: cleaning is not a crime: reverse graffiti.

Who Cares About this Planet?

The music gets on my nerves but what a great poem. It’s from Made Wade, a performing poet from Toronto Canada.
‘Who Cares About this Planet?’ is about the conflict between concern and ignorance for our planet.

The video is part of a campaign from iQ, a eco-friendly cleaning product. Their contest is running now on Facebook. Visitors can vote in the app for the most sustainable idea.

Many other videos are used for this spoken power talk.
See the YouTube page for the credits and full transcript of the poem.

Plant a Thought, Watch it Grow #COP17

There is a lot to read on the internet about climate change. Too much maybe.
Heimat-Berlin devised a way to make this overload visually pleasant. They called it the ECOSPHERE Project.
It is made for the COP17 Climate Change Conference held in Durban, South Africa right now. It became a project from CNN International for its coverage of the conference.

The idea is that you, the visitor, plant a thought with a tweet. And watch it grow with other submissions. Which makes it a real-time view of the global climate change discussion
Each submitted tweet will stimulate growth in the individual topic plants causing some plants to grow larger or faster than others depending on how the conversation is evolving. The result is an instant snapshot of how the world sees climate change.

The ECOSPHERE Project is a fascinating snapshot of the global climate discussion I experienced myself tonight. It is a journey for hours or days.
Because of the used technique, the microsite is built on webGL, Google Chrome or Firefox is required.

10 Reasons Why Bankers are Mostly Human

This video is from BankTrack, a global network of civil society organisations and individuals tracking the operations of the private financial sector and its effect on people and the planet.
The primary objective is to promote disinvestment in coal power plants.

Be One With The Wild

Four humorous ads from the Boy Scouts of America Atlanta area council.
A wink to the old days. The days of the wild west.
“Be One With The Wild”

Update:
I referred to the Wild West. But connecting the Amish society to basic life in nature is also a plausible thought.
I did some reading about the campaign and found out that the four facial hair ads targets youth. There is also a print ad and a flyer meant for parents. I added it at the end of this post.

Most remarkable is the lack of contact information. No web address, no telephone number. Just an astonishing visuals.
As a commenter respond on Boy Scout Trail: “The BOYS love it. Cubs walked past every other poster and ignored it. But that campaign gets em to stop...stare...and ask questions...and they’re hooked”.

Where Does Your Rubbish Go

Nice visualization about our indifference when throwing away rubbish.
“Where Does Your Rubbish Go.”

These three print ads are from Keep Australia Beautiful: “The purpose of Keep Australia Beautiful is to lead, challenge and inspire all Australians to strive for a sustainable and litter free environment.”

Our animals are valuable, just like money

This is a perfect example what happened when an agency tries to translate copy into english for an international audience. I guess they used Google Translate without verifying.
It is a pity because the three ads a good.
They are from the Brazilian Forum Nacional de Proteção e Defesa Animal (FNDPA).
Message is clear: Our animals are valuable, just like money.

The copy:
Ad above: Our resources become endangered.

Ad 2: They had placed animals in our money.
Now help us to invert the order.

Ad 3: Our animals are dying.
Who goes to pay this bill?