Pitch
Display statistics on consumer patterns in a presentation that encourages action on the viewers part. Turn it into a movement.
Description
Summary
The intention of this project would be to bring viewers to an understanding that as consumer patterns change, the market attempts to evolve with the new user environment. The consumption of products is the end of a linear track of a manufacturing process that is not sustainable, and implementing company consciousness to the entire lifespan of products is key in order to shift economic paradigms. A shift in consumer consciousness is the trigger for companies to adapt to the new market, and this project aims towards shifting consumer consciousness by asserting consumers with an awareness of his or her place in the consumer model.
In essence, the project aims towards using art and technology to broadcast a message of empowerment to individuals that otherwise feel powerless as a consumer.
Key actor
Grassroots neighborhood organizations
What actions do you propose?
- Inform viewers of current trends in consumer activity (buy, use, throw away)
- Display statistics on annual, daily, monthly cycles of use for prevalent throw away items, emphasis on plastics. The challenge of displaying statistics in engaging fashions involves design patterns, and leaving ideas open for continued engagement after the "presentation experience" is over. Usage of elements of gaming on web or mobile platforms can be considered.
- Show where trash goes. Gather data on trajectories of dump ships and final destinations of waste.
- Use art to give the numbers form, so viewers can realize the relationship between the statistics of waste and the real world.
- Create the presentation to engage users in solutions, spread awareness of "cradle to cradle" manufacturing.
- Emphasize awareness of man's relationship to the environment, reconcile the dissonance between nature and cities.
- Whatever form this project manifests as should be duplicatable and distributable online.
- Embed viewers with "the solution is in the problem" mentality.
- Construct a network of solutions that makes it easier for people to participate in altering his or her own consumer patterns.
Who will take these actions?
Initial creation of the project should be undergone by a team experienced in a variety of fields.
Designer(s), Programmer(s), Artist(s), Project Manager
Key abilities needed include:
- Holistic viewing of the nature of the project
- Understanding of using the internet as a means of spreading awareness of project, which goes hand-in-hand with understanding the means of interaction with the presentation.
- Big Data thinking (this is the Information Age, the challenge is to find the context of all this information we drown in)
Ultimately the goal is to inspire viewers of the project to be the ones to take action that will result in change in consumer behavior.
Where will these actions be taken?
The point is to ensure that the idea can be implemented in any area, therefore an aspect to the project appears to be not knowing where it will be taken.
Creating an idea that appeals to all demographics of consumers would increase the upper limit on saturation, making the likelihood of such an idea "going viral" higher.
Where will these actions be taken? Ideally in the minds of every person who engages with the presentation, which ideally would be anyone who has access to the internet.
How much will emissions be reduced or sequestered vs. business as usual levels?
I really think this is a question that involves analysis of manufacturing patterns, consumer behavior, and the ways that they relate. Quantifying it to make a prediction on carbon dioxide levels (one of many things that could be looked at) is out of the scope of my ability to do.
I could guess, or a team of researchers could be hired to make a fancier guess with the help of complex systems modeling and a supercomputer.
Either way perhaps it can be summed up with this:
It would be lower than business as usual.
What are other key benefits?
Changing consumer models to have human populations work more like a part of an ecosystem instead of a cancer.
Ecosystems are cyclic and nothing is wasted.
Cancer takes and doesn't give.
Ease of mind of being able to participate in the economy without harming other parts of the network of life.
Curbing climate change and building a sustainable economic model that obsoletes the current consumer model (which is to say, making a model that is better with no feeling of sacrificing current living standards).
What are the proposal’s costs?
You get what you pay for.
This can be a multi-million dollar movement or a $10000 indie art project.
Time line
- Research and Data collection
- Design and creation
- Distribution
A time line can be established based on assessment of each categories needs. The time line really depends on how much funding this would get. More money, more people to work, less time spent (in an ideal world where the team is cohesive and ambitious).
Related proposals
The sustainability movement as a whole.
2011 CoLab proposal to adapt markets to a circular/cyclic economy with price correction.
References
Links to be posted.
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