PRACSIS & Richard Rubbish of The Awakeners go on tour this summer
At first glance ‘waste is not waste’ might sound like a contradiction in terms. But it’s definitely not. To explain: For many years—since the 1950s when the American consumption model began spreading to the rest of the world—consumers’ habits have been guided by a fever of always getting more, better and newer. Planned obsolescence in industrial design has also played a major role in building our society’s consumption patterns. However, we can’t go on and on with such a model, especially because it is incompatible with a world of resource scarcity.
To compel change in consumption habits, the European Commission launched the Generation Awake campaign in 2011. Generation Awake invites consumers to think and consume differently. Resource efficiency is the main theme of the campaign with 2014 focusing on better waste management. Recycle, reuse and reduce are the three key words to remember. But you still might be wondering: who are the Awakeners then? Well, they are the characters created to spread the message!
Richard Rubbish of the Awakeners will be campaigning across Europe this summer. The goal is to convince people that waste is actually not waste, but a resource. Traditionally, waste has been seen as a source of pollution. But well managed waste can be a valuable source of materials. The best option is to stop creating and reduce waste. When that isn't possible, other good choices are reuse and recycling.
Richard’s summer campaign will stop in many places in Europe to raise awareness and engage citizens in reducing, recycling and reusing waste. In July, Richard will visit Marseille (France), Mamaia (Romania), Split (Croatia) and Cascais (Portugal). In August, the beaches of Caorle (Italy), Nessebar (Bulgaria) and Oropos (Greece) will see Richard and its campaign displays together with PRACSIS team members, in charge of all the logistics and tour coordination. The EURACSIS network is once again proving its value: PRACSIS partnering agencies have provided great support in logistics, staff recruitment and translation of the tour’s exhibition stands. We thus like to thank Propaganda (Romania), Imago (Croatia/Slovenia), BMS (Portugal),Cooperate (Italy), Media Basket (Bulgaria) and AGERANO (Greece).
So now you know if you see a rubbish can walking and chatting on the beach, it’s not because you’ve had too much sun or too many mojitos—though that might be the case—it’s just Richard, Richard Rubbish!