Vancouver drivers got a first-hand look at the effects of global warming on their way to work thanks to a campaign by the David Suzuki Foundation to raise awareness of rising ocean levels.
As part of the Rising Tide Project, Spring Advertising placed signs in low lying areas showing the speed limit in knots (the standard measure of speed for boaters), installing them above existing speed limit signs and noting they would be under water if ocean levels continue to rise at projected rates.
Each installation included the messaging “global warming is closer than you think” and the Foundation’s website address.
Rising Tide Project 2011 from Spring Advertising + Design on Vimeo.
“We didn’t want to scream at people, but rather confront them with a scenario that they may not have considered,” said Eli van der Giessen, creative services coordinator at the David Suzuki Foundation. “We all live busy lives, so sometimes it takes a little bit of innovation to get people to stop and take notice.”
Last year, Spring caught people’s attention by wrapping telephone poles with recycled mussel shells and barnacles to show that, thanks to rising sea levels, high tide could flood city streets.
