I would like someone 'cartoonly' to do a cartoon where you have a bug and a butterfly sitting outside under an arbour (hmm ... bugs don't usually hang out indoors) - looking around at all the paving and built up areas, saying: 

'Errkchem .... you've got your room... And while we're on the subject, where did you put ours?' 

A little bit of sarcasm is okay for green humourists, provided it's fairly good-natured, and the aim is to generate mostly good-will  on behalf of the green movement, rather than the opposite! 

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I talk about the impact of the outdoor room phenomenon and the many ways these affect our local ecosystems  at my blogspot - bloomingandbold.blogspot.   From time to time there is a bit of humour, in the blog, though as with environmentalists, it is easy to diverge back on to the  path of righteousness, a little too easily!

Alan Carr is a funny guy, and his take on free range chooks going out on the town in my view, quite adorable. Greenies may not appreciate the skit as he does get hot and bothered by the cost of organic vegetables and the cost of the onion is worthy of a few tears, he adds.  So the formula  I use for green humour probably may not be satisfied here, which includes backing up environmentalists in furthering the green message. Still, it's worth checking out this skit just the same. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TyT_jQbuQc&feature=related

A lot of greenies are worried that by making light of the woes of the world, this will mean the subjects of our causes are demeaned but, I really don't agree.  We can re-energise our campaigns by using humour and introducing some fun in to what we say, and how we say it. A free range chook going out for a make-over doesn't mean we lose empathy for the chicken, but instead helps engender warm feelings for the chook and humanises (brings us closer to) the hen.  I call this 'green cuteification' which cartoons, and stand-ups are so good at achieving. (Comics can bring happiness to the otherwise dreary or sad aspects of our lives. Comics should be commended for their ability to do this.)   

Speaking of green humour, Rohan Chakrvarty's cartoon blogspot (since updated to greenhumour.com) is a must see site, for humour and conservation comic strips. 

Nowadays we see humour being used in increasingly more social and behaviour change situations.  I'm sorry I didn't get to see Alzheimer's The Musical, which was a live comedy production to get people seeing the lighter side of growing older and instiling preventive tips as well.  

More discussion is had about green humour and my book, Green Spin (Or) Promoting the Green Message. 

Us greenies could do with a bit of stress relief, and we can get a lot better at exploiting the communications opportunities for bridging the gap between the mainstream world and ourselves, and what better way than to use the occasional bit of humour in our messaging. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfawHPvq5gI&feature=youtu.beenjoy 

This is a Youtube video raising awareness about environmental weeds pests and action that can be taken about them, in an amusing way. 

Today my son (almost 14) and I are at The Best of the Independent Games Festival at ACMI Federation Square, Melbourne which showcases (supposedly) some of the best of indie electronic game design. My son likes some of the games, and I'm particularly interested in 3 (for obvious reasons): Fez, Botanicula, and Lume.   These three are particularly interesting for their eco-digitilization inspiration and content.

My son is playing on a game entitled Fez (2012) which has a little white critter sporting a red fez climbing up walls strewn with rambling vines and a digital snail pixillating across a vegetated roof (none other than an intensive roof garden). 
The game is gently introducing eco-screen dreaming to the digitalized context. There is also Botanicula which as it sounds comprises botanic features, and Lume, the game (2011). This one describes itself as 'an illuminating puzzle adventure. Power to your Granddad's has failed.... Immerse yourself in Lume's photoreal world, solve perplexing paper puzzles to help restore the power ...'  On one level you see a roof entirely covered with photovoltaic cells. Hmm, it isn't long and the place being full, we are being encouraged to let someone else have a turn, so I don't get to explore these games' horizons as much as I could. 

It is inspirational being here, to see that game designers are factoring the eco-movement in to their visuals so that within the game you are encouraged heart and soul to remember there is a natural world in a parallel 'universe' to the electronic one, which is worthy of attention (oops my Doctor Who interest is obvious). 

This is one example of what I call an eco-screen dream where creators of TV and film drama, and advertisers instil subliminal eco-signals whether it be a greener backdrop, a green product like a recycling bin, or someone taking part in a green activity like riding a scooter to the shops.  Readers can scroll down to see other relevant topics such as visual imagery for screening up and eco screen dream topics on this Blog. Happy reading!