Habits for Habitats

The first idea we received when we asked for ideas on mass-consumption, was from Michael Steeby and Helge Svendsen. It's called "Habit for Habitats" - enjoy!

As we all know, mass consumption leads to massive amounts of garbage, which again can lead to global warming. So if we don’t recycle the garbage we throw out, we will continue to exhaust our natural resources and destroy fragile habitats. In other words: Our habits have a direct impact on animal’s habitats. And right now, global warming is making life very difficult for penguins in the Antarctic.

So how do we get people to recycle more?

In this example, Waste Management (one of the largest garbage companies in the US) will teach people how recycling can help slow global warming. They do this by giving their customers the chance to “adopt” a virtual penguin. This digital avatar will be affected by the amount of trash recycled monthly. By personalizing the recycling experience, we will show how recyclable garbage can help save penguins and their habitats. 

Here’s how: As mentioned earlier, we target the biome most directly affected by global warming: the Antarctic. The Habits for Habitats program will be facilitated by Waste Management, who will institute a new way to track, scan and weigh your recyclable garbage. Your garbage-statistics are then translated into personalized information, which shows how you are directly helping to save your very own adopted penguin and its habitat in the Antarctic.

In short, you’re basically taking care of your own virtual pet simply by recycling – making the act of recycling fun and engaging.

Here are some visual suggestions on how this could look like. Comments on each image can be found on the bottom half.

This idea is a product of two people:

Michael Steeby; Art Director, working freelance, based in Boulder, Colorado.

• Portfolio: http://www.michaelsteeby.com/
• LinkedIn-profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-steeby/19/993/74b
• His golden gems from the web can be found at: https://twitter.com/#!/msteeby 

Helge Svendsen; Copywriter, working for Grow Norway, Oslo.

• Portfolio: http://cargocollective.com/helgesvendsen
• LinkedIn-profile: http://no.linkedin.com/pub/helge-svendsen/21/5a5/491
• His Internet treasures are hidden at: https://twitter.com/#!/hellsve

Do you have an idea about how to raise awareness about mass-consumption or how to change it? Send your thoughts to post@therefinementclub.com