In the midst of my research to find a New York City based pro-bono design firm/studio I came across DESIGN 21: a Social Design Network with a mission to inspire social activism through design. Though their site people are able to connect (internationally) and explore the ways in which design can positively impact our many worlds. Basically it's social network for designers who are looking for Pro Bono work.From there I was lead directly to the perfect pro bono project: thanks DESIGN 21...
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CAMPAIGN:
NYC H20 Global Warming Awareness Campagin
CLIENT:
Earth Policy Institute
TYPE:
Product Innovation
DESIGNER:
Alexandra Pulver
MOTIVATION:
Making plastic bottles to meet American’s demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel 100,000 U.S. cars for a year. Additionally, nearly a quarter of all bottled water crosses national borders to reach consumers, involving the burning of massive amounts of fossil fuels that are contributing to global warming.
(Earth Policy Institute, 2/2/06)
OBJECTIVE:
"Our objective with this campaign is to raise awareness amongst New York City residents that choosing tap water over bottled water is a means of reducing our daily impact on global warming."
STRATEGY:
"We chose to target NYC because of its role as an influencer city whose residents are susceptible to drinking bottled water because of their on-the-go, out-of-home urban lifestyles. Additionally, NYC tap water is some of the best in the country. By visibly integrating tap water into the urban landscape, it will be elevated to the status of city icon and New Yorkers will begin to see it as a more viable hydration option."
CHALLENGE:
"The City itself is a challenge because New Yorkers like having options; 'Would you like Bottled, Tap or Sparkling this evening?' There is also the challenge of creating a campaign that is attractive and catches your eye, while still raising awareness for global warming."
APPROACH:
• Hydration Stations •
"Dispensing free pouches of NYC H20, drop-shaped water stations can beautify the streetscape while creating a more accessible, hygienic and environmentally-friendly solution for public hydration. Each pouch would be made of recyclable plastic film. After drinking, pedestrians flatten the plastic pouch and drop it into the recycling slot. The city can then use the recycled material to create new pouches, creating a closed-loop hydrate-recycle system."• Product Design •
"The chic water drop design targets style and social-conscious New Yorkers, making tap water as fashionable as it is friendly to the environment."
• Environment, Billboards & Print Ads •
"Each is designed to capture the pure, clean feeling of tap water while integrating it into the urban landscape.
9 comments:
beautiful design...
i don't know if i'd trust tap water from NYC, but with this design i'll probably be all over it...
This is great - it is an important topic (bottled water is such a waste). Global warming deign can be so cliche - they really pull it off.
Design 21 looks like a great global network for socially conscious designers. Thanks for sharing the resource.
Most bottled water sold is merely tap water which has been filtered or processed to remove impurities or minerals, vitamins, flavors like sugar are added. So it is not a earth friendly use of resources.
But manufacturers and marketers of it would argue consumers want bottled water and the industry generates an economic benefit while employing many people.
I liked the image of the city in the water glass. I'd like to know if how the folks in NYC responded.
This is an awesome campaign. The pouches and dispensers are well designed.
What a elegant way to re contextualize the bottled water debate. Its brilliant.
I followed the link to Alexandra and lost my way exploring the fascinating ways designers are approaching their art. I almost forgot to leave a comment.
What a great site. I love your text choices, thats innovative.
I wonder if the cool pouches will just replace the plastic bottle in the urban landscape. That will be a tough challenge to overcome.
I remember hearing about the nationwide "Keep America Beautiful" campaign that had started in 1953. Used to be the US disposed of their incidental trash like the developing worlds do now, out the window. The most famous billboard was the one with the crying Indian, 1971 featuring Iron Eyes Cody. It took 2 decades but was a very successful campaign. Our country looks nothing like it used to, with trash everywhere. The campaign re contextualized the way people disposed of trash and what it said about who they were, ie 'white trash.'
And it all started with a small idea like Project Innovation.
This is a great example of the way designers can have a positive impact in the 21st century. Although I find it interesting that people need to have something that is relatively free advertised to them. Bottled water has become so successful because we have come to think of tap water as unhealthy or not that good for some reason. And now, we have to be reminded that tap water is free and good.
I think this is a good way to encourage people to be healthier and more H2O conscious. It's an elegant design.
It is a hard campaign to get people to like tap water especially in NYC i'm sure. I try not to drink tap water even in denver...check out this link about americas water.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd_Mg0xCvcM&feature=related
This is a challenging topic, but the concept of clean NYC water with this firm is amazing. I agree with Rassamee with this design i'd at least give it a shot.
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