VW: The Dark Side. Greenpeace Protests Volkswagon by Mocking "The Force" Ad and Pulling A Big PR Stunt in London.

Claiming that Volkswagon, whose charming television ad for the Passat, "The Force", is a fan favorite and award-winner, emits harmful CO2 emissions, Greenpeace of the UK has organized a large PR stunt in protest.


above: a still from the Volkswagon "The Force" by ad agency Deutsch.

According to Greenpeace UK, automotive brand Volkswagon opposes the European climate laws. In its report, 'The Dark Side of Volkswagen', Greenpeace complains that Europe's largest car manufacturer has purposely restricted its most fuel efficient engines to a tiny minority of vehicles, and then drastically increased the price for consumers.



Unfortunately, the memorable and likeable tv ad served as a perfect target for their message "Welcome To The Dark Side."

The original VW The Force Ad from Deutsch:


Greenpeace created their own parody of the popular ad which, because of a LucasFilms copyright violation, has been pulled from YouTube and Vimeo and other articles on the web. However, here it is from EFE of the UK news (with newscaster talking over it, sorry):

VW: The Dark Side ad from Greenpeace:

Greenpeace Reveals Volkswagen's "Dark Side" by NewsLook

The PR Stunt


The PR stunt began early the morning of June 28th in London's 'Silicon Roundabout" on Old Street. Two teams of climbers scaled the largest billboard ad space in the city to post four banners starring Darth Vader and a VW logo.




As rush hour approached multiple people dressed as Star Wars stormtroopers began standing on boomboxes in the area, broadcasting the Imperial March music, while volunteers gave out flyers and explained the issues to the public.





Later the men in white gathered around the Foundry in the heart of Shoreditch as a second banner unrolled and thousands of people passed en route to work.




Greenpeace has a site that asks you to "Join The Rebellion" here.

images and info courtesy of Greenpeace UK and the EPA

GE Recreates Van Gogh Painting with Plants for London's National Gallery

above digital composite by Laura Sweet

GE (General Electric) and London’s National Gallery just unveiled an ecomaginative collaboration – an installation of Van Gogh’s famous A Wheatfield with Cypresses, made from over 8,000 living plants and on display on the western side of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square.


above: 'A Wheatfield, with Cypresses' was painted in September 1889, while Van Gogh was a patient at the St-Rémy mental asylum.

above: More than 25 varieties of plant have been used to mimic the strong bands of color in the original picture.

The living painting has been constructed by specialist horticulture and design company ANS using over 8,000 plants of more than 26 different varieties. To create the artwork, each plant was selected for its unique colour to match the tones of the original painting.


image courtesy of GE

image courtesy of GE

image courtesy of GE

image courtesy of GE

image courtesy of GE

image courtesy of GE

image courtesy of GE

The living painting is a creative manifestation of GE’s commitment to the environment through its ‘ecomagination’ business strategy, which is concerned with meeting customers’ demands for more energy-efficient products.

The green doesn’t stop there: GE also contributed environmentally-friendly Jenbacher cogeneration heat and power engines that will help reduce the Gallery’s carbon footprint.

People can see the living wall in Trafalgar Square until the end of October.

Thanks to GE Reports and London's National Gallery for the info

Discarded Christmas Trees Become Stools In The Christmas Project

The Christmas Tree Project, London

In London alone, it is estimated that most of the 976,000 Christmas trees in the capital will be simply thrown away.



The Christmas Tree project, a continuation of Fabien Cappello's 2009 RCA graduation work, will see Christmas trees from across London being collected and reincarnated into stools.



Making the perfect Christmas gift, the gallery is inviting people to arrange an early January collection of their tree and place their order for a pretty handcrafted Christmas Tree Stool by rising designer Fabien Cappello.


images and info courtesy of Fabien Capello and the Libby Sellers Gallery

A percentage of profit from the Christmas Tree Project will be donated to the Woodland Trust.

The Libby Sellers Gallery is taking orders until January 6th
Please email or call for collection details
+44 (0) 7774 113 813
gallery@libbysellers.com

Buy The Bay: Artists Turn Beach Experiences Into Objects For Charity.

Buy the Bay is a collaborative effort to help preserve the beach we love in support of Heal The Bay.

Artists, designers, writers and musicians are transforming precious beach experiences into tangible objects that you can own or give to someone else. These beautifully crafted items reflect the things everyone cherishes most about the beach, and are available to own or share as a gift.

You can give back by investing in the experiences that matter most to you. To Buy the Bay is to help preserve the things we love most about the beach. The proceeds raised through each donation will help benefit Heal The Bay’s efforts in keeping L.A.’s beaches clean, healthy and safe to enjoy.

All The Time In The World by Khobe DeLucca
A small hourglass filled with local beach sand, caught between pieces of sterling silver.



Product Specifications:
Hourglass Height: 1.25” including loop
Chain Length: 18”
All metals are sterling silver
Handmade in the USA
limited edition of 50
$200
buy it here

The Perfect Wave by Tim Meraz
Small amounts of water from eight of the best surfing beaches in Southern California like Malibu, The Wedge, Rincon and Trestles. The bottle’s label is held in place by a fine wire wrapped around it, which suggests undulating waves.



Product specifications:
750mL bordeaux bottle approx. 11.5” tall. Ships in a black corrugated presentation shipping box approx. 13.75” x 4.25” x 3.5”.
limited edition of 100
$100
buy it here

Beach Karma by Elizabeth Saveri
Beautiful hand painted beachscapes on the little plastic ties that litter so many beaches and oceans. Each is framed in a 6" square black wood frame.



Product Specifications:
Water-based oil paint on recycled plastic bag ties.
Comes in a 6” x 6” black wooden frame.
limited edition of 10
$150
buy it here

Special Edition Poster by Eric Nyquist

With every special-edition 25th anniversary poster comes a year-long membership to Heal the Bay, and every poster you purchase adds another year. Hang it up and let the world know just how much a clean and healthy beach means to you.


This poster was printed in a limited-run of 250.
Product Specifications:
16” x 20” hand-pulled 2-color silkscreen print on uncoated 100# cover stock suitable for framing.
$50
buy it here

Info and images courtesy of:

The Green Garmento Is 4 Eco Friendly Bags In One.

The Green Garmento is a smart and chic reusable drycleaning bag created to reduce the 300,000,000 pounds of single use plastic bags that fill our landfills and waterways each year.


above right image by Ann Johansson for the New York Times

The eco-friendly 4-in-1 reusable garment bag that helps simplify and “green” your drycleaning routine, is the brainchild of Los Angeles-based couple Rick Siegel and Jennie Nigrosh, shown above.

Lightweight, durable and colorful, the Green Garmento is made from a recyclable, breathable, water-resistant material, making it an eco-friendly, stylish, practical and affordable alternative to single-use plastic garment bags.




4-Bags-in-1
Here’s how it works: at home it serves as a hanging laundry bag or standard hamper, on your trip to the drycleaner it functions as a duffel bag, and at pick-up your drycleaned clothes will be hanging and protected inside your Green Garmento for the trip home – without a single-use plastic bag in sight!

Features:


* Made from breathable, water-resistant material.
* Wide gussets and a side zipper help to keep everything safely in placeand allow you easy access.
* Available in multiple sizes from 40 to 72 inches, and a variety of colors, there’s a Green Garmento to suit every need and lifestyle.
* Like a reusable grocery tote for your clothes that is eco-friendly, stylish, practical, and affordable ($9.99 retail).



The Green Garmento comes in six colors; Green Grass, Black Night, Burgundy Bliss, Blue Water, Red Buttons and Orange Sunshine.

It's a simple and simplifying lifestyle change that's practical, eco-friendly, stylish, and affordable ($9.99 retail).... not to mention helping to cut down on the 300 million pounds of plastic drycleaning bags that end up in our landfills each year!

Buy them here.