Favourite Environmental Campaigns in 2014 (Australia)

Pick 1 - that takes the prize for adorability, originality, and ability to engage with the widest possible audience is Frank Woodley's - Give Frank A Break

http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project/extra/season-5/frank-woodley-3854301853001

Oddly enough since it was released has been 'closed to private audience' but you can watch the expose on the Project on the link above. It is essentially a humorous video (black comedy!) about protecting our oceans from waste pollution. Frank Woodley manages to tread a fine (fishing) line between environmental pathos and green humour. He certainly seems to be saying the less words you use - the more you convey in Give Frank and the Oceans a break.  On the Project TV show Frank shocks everyone by swallowing a plastic bag - presumably one which will break down inside his stomach!! 

Am hoping the link will be working again shortly. 

Pick 2 - Animal Australia - caged eggs videos campaign --- 'That aint no way to treat a lady'.  

Not as creative as the Give Frank A Break Video - nevertheless these videos are clever in that they remove any semblance of the pedestrian or prosaic from the 'chicken' label and manage to captivate us with the lovability of the chicken species. The viewer will be stunned to learn the fact that the majority of eggs in Australia are still battery hen or cage eggs which is simply unacceptable in a society which is meant to be moving towards becoming more concerned with animal rights and welfare.  

You will also learn that chickens are cleverer than we thought, can be trained to do tricks (no bird brain at all!) and they can identify the same object over and over again that depicts themselves, and even look for the missing object that resembles all of the others.  I give this campaign an extra tick as they managed to produce not one or two but four videos!

http://www.animalsaustralia.org/no-way-to-treat-a-lady

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153403391825299&set=vb.32799215298&&theater

Pick 3  Get Up's Save the Reef 

This video just scraped it in to the 2014 list being uploaded to Get Up's Facebook in late December. It's actually very effective as it uses humour, too, but takes the innocence of the actors that little bit further and adds in some pretty hilarious misinformation.  The lack of accuracy about features of the Great Barrier Reef stirs up that familiar theme that governments don't always know what they're doing and nor do they leave our most precious natural resources in charge of the best people!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152418994826455&set=vb.13527056454&&theater

Pick 4 - City of Yarra - Put In Bin campaign

These zany pictures have been getting a look in throughout our Facebook page over recent months.   The City of Yarra post a caption on each of the bins stating that the contents of the bins will be sorted for recycing.    See our Facebook page for several more examples. 

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Interestingly the next three campaigns concern governmental apathy in Australia, when it comes to taking stronger action and making commitments on climate change targets.  

Pick 5 - Heads in the Sand 

https://www.facebook.com/AustralianConservationFoundation/photos/a.203147261340.171976.14193666340/10152850516001341/?&theater

This one speaks for itself as does the next one. 

Pick 6  - G 20 O Solar campaign

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-06/queensland-farmer-sends-a-large-climate-change-message-to-g20/5871086

Pick 7 - People's Climate March - This March has had an astounding response, not because it's particularly creative or original but merely in the use of social media to rouse so many people to come together at so many different cities and locations across the world. Hundreds of thousands of people turned up to march on 21st September, 2014 in Melbourne. 

Here's a photo from the March.  The caption in the photo says 'Hey Tony, You're Heading for a Climate Change Cliff'.   


More examples of campaigns will be added throughout the year, as more spring to mind - from 2014.