Design Campaigns for Climate Change

Research presented at DeZeen's 'Good Design for a Bad World' talks at 'Dutch Design Week' Oct 2017, showed the products that designers help create are the biggest contributors to climate change. 

Design and raising awareness:

2014 - Milton Glaser

https://www.dezeen.com/2014/08/04/milton-glaser-its-not-warming-its-dying-climate-change-campaign/

It's Not Warming, It's Dying campaign

• The graphic designer behind the ubiquitous I heart NY logo
• Launched a campaign to raise awareness of climate change.
• 'It's Not Warming, It's Dying' campaign aims to create a greater sense of urgency around climate change, with the intention of using harsher language than "global warming".
• "There is no more significant issue on earth than its survival," Glaser told Dezeen. "The questions is, 'how can anyone not be involved?'"
• He designed a simple visual for posters and button badges, comprising a green disk obscured by black smoke.
• The graphic suggests an aerial view of the Earth with only a narrow band of life remaining. The green section is printed in glow-in-the-dark ink for maximum impact.
• "symbolically, the disappearance of light seemed to be an appropriate way to begin."
• Badges were sold on the campaign website for $5 for 5
• The idea of selling in sets was to reduce costs and to encourage people to give them away to friends, family members and colleagues. All proceeds were put towards the production and distribution of more badges.
• "If half the people on earth wear the button even the 'masters of the universe' will be moved to action," said Glaser, referring to the large corporations he says have prevented significant action to protect the planet against the changing climate.
• People are also encouraged to spread the word by posting pictures of themselves wearing the badge via social media channels using the hashtag #itsnotwarming.
• The campaign's Twitter account shared a stream of news reports and scientific data to support the message.
• "Those of us responsible for communicating ideas to others must bear the burden of the consequences of such communication...If one is looking for a purpose and theme to their life, avoiding the worst event in human history is a good place to begin."
• Glaser also created a poster to raise money to rebuild the Tohoku region of Japan that was devastated by an earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 2011.

Worldbeing - a wearable for the world

https://vimeo.com/138649044

“This app has the potential to increase understanding and stimulate action by intuitively communicating and linking our daily activities and decisions to their impacts on the climate.”

Britt Berden - Plan B

Depicting ideals through material use

• created a pair of models that show what happens when scientists try to counter global warming.
• Dutch Design Week, 
• The project aims to educate people on the process and effects of climate engineering – and to help them understand the potentially harmful consequences.
• "We are inhabitants of this world and have to think about what values we apply in governing it but also how we take responsibility on fighting climate change together," 
• Working with climate experts, she developed two installations that visualise the two primary methods of climate engineering: greenhouse gas removal and solar radiation management.
• "I wanted to create my insights into objects to materialise climate engineering, but at the same time, reflect on today's world,"
• "Climate change is the most unpredictable and uncertain issue at the moment," she said. "We have to take responsibility to address this issue for ourselves but also for future generations." - SUSTAINABILITY
• "Designers have the power to imagine a better world or create awareness by being critical about tomorrow's environmental challenges."
• "My aim is to make the scientific complexity approachable for a larger audience to understand it but also get the public involved in the discussion,"
• "These artefacts can be implemented to educate and inform different generations about the complexity of the topic and to inform the public about these realistic but dangerous proposals to 'fix' the planet."

Brewdog Beer 

• New beer designed to raise awareness of Climate Change's impact
• Independent craft brewery and pub chain in Scotland
• Titles 'Make Earth Great Again' referencing Donald Trumps slogan
• The packaging shows the US president battling a polar bear 
• Recipe uses ingredients from areas affected by global warming
• Is a product protesting against the USA's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement
• Attempts to 'Shake the world by the shoulders and remind leaders to prioritise climate change issues"
• The Res Dress designed the beer's label
• Use of polar bear is a common representation in campaign against climate change
• Made using water from melting Arctic ice caps
• "This beer is our statement of intent, to hold a mirror up to all of the establishment figures that could and should do more on an issue that affects everyone on the planet," said BrewDog co-founder, James Watt. "We hope everyone who can make a positive impact on climate change at a legislative level takes note of what the beer represents."
• Visitors to Brewdog bars in London and Ohio will be served the beer from an artificial life-size polar bear's head
• Proceeds will be donated to 10:10, a climate change charity that tackles climate change at a community level 
• It hopes to encourage government to change legislation

Design and renewable energy:

• Pavegen - a London based startup that uses steps to create kinetic energy
• 'Smart flooring' solution - relies on pedestrians to generate reusable energy strong enough to power public lighting (just a step in the right direction)
• stepping causes electromagnetic induction generators to move, setting off a rotary motion that generates power
• One footstep is enough to generate the amount of off-grid energy needed to light an LED lightbulb for around 20 seconds
• The tiles have a sensor that transmits data about movement, helping to create an idea of peak times for foot traffic in an area, predict consumer trends, and create heat maps of popular urban areas
• Rewards system: in a retail setting, people in a shop are able to earn digital currency for every step, which is collected using an app and used towards purchase or to donate to charitable causes - this creates a sustainable environment encouraging people to move (exercise) purchase things stimulating economic growth in that area in a mutually beneficial partnership, all whilst producing renewable energy that has zero emissions thus small environmental impact. 
• "What that means is that if you walk into a retailer, you are powering 40 per cent to 50 per cent of the lighting," said Laurence Kemball-Cook, CEO and founder of Pavegen.
• "As a user, the retailer would say Laurence, you have made 42 steps, if you can make 50 steps we'll give you some money off your purchase, or even better, you can choose to donate that energy somewhere else," 
• This technology makes energy consumption ad creation more tangible and approachable
• Educates and promotes climate change and sustainability 
• "There's a way to engage users on another level, beyond energy...No one can see energy, no one really understands what energy is. But this makes it real."
• The brand believes that it is the combination of physical participation and data collection that will aid the evolution of smart cities, as well as changing behaviours to address the issues facing urban spaces in the future.
• Founded in 2009, Pavegen has completed over 150 projects globally
• It offers permanent public and commercial flooring, as well as temporary installations for events.

Recycling:

• Entertainment with a message – how design and sustainable change can thrive, using these platforms for promotion of environmentalists creates this mutually beneficial relationship here both sides receive advertisement. 
• 'The video for Obsession was choreographed and filmed over the course of two years in Japan, using 567 printers and several hundred pieces of paper.
• The film begins by explaining how all the paper used was recycled, and proceeds given to environmental charity Greenpeace.'

Pollution:

This bikini is made from a sponge-like material that repels water but absorbs oils, designed to help filter impurities from water and turn swimming to an "eco-friendly activity".

Image if all swimwear could do this, the small change that could heavily impact change for the better.

Design studios The Unseen and The Lost Explorer have come together to create a T-shirt that changes colour when it comes into contact with polluted water.

"When the T-shirt comes into contact with non-neutral water, the pH level of that water is then revealed through the colour of the garment, forming colour shifts through the pH scale from alkaline green to acidic red."

Conclusions:

*sharing features - spreads word and adds social function

*reward systems - get something as a motivation

*social media - a platform encouraging people to partake, could get them followers etc if on a big channel - celebrities on board could offer to share some photos 

*need to use shocking / profound language - encourages people to share / look / remember

*use of Internet and being all connected - a scannable bar code? use?

Examples: