The other day I drove past a billboard that had two unchecked boxes, the kind of squares created next to action items on one's daily to-do-list. The statement next to one box said, "do nothing" and if my memory serves me correctly, the second box stated, "do something about global warming". This message stood out for several reasons. First, I don't think I can recall any other billboards surrounding climate change or environmental justice; the last environment related message I saw posted on a a massive rectangle beside the highway encouraged families to feed their children vegetables and fruits for snacks, which is not an entirely recent phenomena. Second, I was kind of in awe of it's simplicity - two boxes and less than ten words. Third, it took a large scale problem and targeted the individual, suggesting that taking action on global warming can be just as simple as crossing off purchased items on your grocery list. The message on this billboard highlights an essential component for increasing participation by conveying to people that their actions are needed and the solution is not as complex as we make it out to be. This advertisement might infer that people feel a sense of competence about global warming otherwise it fails to address another component of "being needed". If that is the case, the words global warming might trigger feelings of confusion and hopelessness. I recognize that purpose of this billboard intervention may not be to increase competence, but I'm curious what existing interventions are effective at enhancing understanding regarding large scale problems such as global warming? Hopefully one exists that doesn't require acceptance into graduate school.
Post written by: Hazel Shively, December 2015
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