Fifty Percent Campaign

Describe your idea and concept of your work in relation to the festival outlines:

According to a recent study from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, 50% of the world’s food goes to waste. With the industrialization of agriculture, we have become separated not only from the production and distribution of food, but the amount of resources involved with food production and the inefficiencies of the systems that lead to the staggering amount of the food waste. Agriculture accounts for 92% of all freshwater use globally, and is the direct driver of around 80% of deforestation worldwide. As our resources become more scarce, our climate more extreme, and the world’s population’s accelerated growth, the future demands the most intelligent and effective use of the earth’s dwindling non-renewable resources in order to feed the global population. The invisible must be made visible in order to restore food democracy to the food citizens of the world.

What kind of communication approach do you use?

The communication approach is through a visual piece of culture jamming that will create awareness about food waste and make people question their waste habits. The grocery bag shows the realistic possibility that what shopper’s purchase may go to waste – it redefines the grocery bag by creating a juxtaposition between grocery bag and trash bin when the groceries are placed inside. The bag acts as a conversation starter by confronting people with their own waste habits. This is supplemented by a strategic social media pieces via Facebook and Twitter. It is content rich, easily shareable, and simple, while giving people a practical way to change their food waste habits. The social media series was inspired by the DIY innovators, user generated content, and a copyleft philosophy often seen across the internet that values inspirational quotes, and the weekly sharing of scientific breakthroughs. Packaging is critical to selling an idea, and it is critical to communicating and urging the food citizens of the world to change. Filmmaker and futurist, Jason Silva embodies this – he creates short videos that are dense and rich with content about really big ideas, all done in 2 minutes. The response has been overwhelming as the views of his videos continue to rise. He says attention is a limited resource and that we have to compete for it.

What are in your opinion concrete benefits to the society because of your communication?

The benefits are simple. Simply being aware of the issue of food waste can help people be more attentive to their waste habits. But bringing the issue of food waste to the surface and stating the status is not enough, and creating a conversation isn’t enough either. Change requires more than a conversation, it requires ways that can inform and help food citizens change. The social media series serves to offer information and practical ways in which to reduce waste. Real change starts with real advice and a real action plan in the home, at the dinner table, and our purchase habits at the store.

What did you personally learn from creating your submitted work?

While working on this project, I not only learned a great deal about food democracy and food waste, I learned that all the global issues surrounding food democracy are complex issues that are intermingled with other massive issues. While the issues are complex and multi-layered, they can be presented in simple ways we can understand. I learned that the way we communicate as critical to how the message is understood and the medium of the message can have an impact on the the conversation as well. If the conversation of food waste is to continue, the social media channels must be established before the conversation can take place. Lecturer John Lambie talked about the effects of viral videos and their ability to cause a snowball effect, but between the first person and the second person joining in is where it is most awkward. If the social media channels are established and content is present, the precursors for conversation communicate an open invitation to all users. If we want food waste and waste-not advice to reach a wide audience, we must create with the precursors for viral spread.

Why is your work, GOOD communication WORK?

What makes this good work is in my ability to continue to support Fifty Percent’s social media channels long after Memefest is complete. Being a change agent requires long term dedication and involvement with the cause and I have created content that extends for at least another month of daily posts. People will be able to be engaged with real practical advice and be able to make realistic changes to their habits.

Where and how do you intent do implement your work?

The bag can be implemented in stores that are willing to participate (hypothetically). Otherwise photos of the bag can be posted on the internet, alongside all other creative guerilla marketing campaigns. Rarely is a guerilla marketing campaign ever witnessed everyday. The social media part of the project is implemented on the internet

Did your intervention had an effect on other Media. If yes, describe the effect? (Has other media reported on it- how? Were you able to change other media with your work- how?)

There has been no media response