Paper 2

Clifford Nordstrom

English 101 5:30 Paper #2

Dr Sonia Begert

November 3 2015

History of the Green Movement and its advertising (Trendy or True?)

Ads focusing on “Going Green,” lately have been on the rise due to earth’s resources slowly decreasing. In the past “Going Green” or Environmentalism has been looked down upon and even referred as “Tree-hugging.” Though since the early times of America we have come to know that Environmentalism is not a trend by any means but more of a base of American culture. In fact Environmentalism is the root of the green movement that essentially started when Henry David Thoreau wrote a book called “Maine Woods” in hopes of conservation and protecting the “Virgin Forest.” In 1960s Environmentalism was recognized and boosted by Rachel Carson who wrote “Silent Spring,” in her fight against pesticides and preservation of wild life. Shown in a few ads are example of ways to “Go Green” and can entice the viewer into supporting the Go Green movement by using jokes, sharing a common interest or even insulting the viewer into a guilt trip and make them think about their life style.

Since as far back as 400 BC old waste sites showed little signs of household materials. Throughout history it is human practice to recycle and reuse what resources are available. Today in age people take recycling to a new level by reducing pollution and hazardous chemicals that may be harmful to wildlife. To reduce is to limit the amount of waste and unnecessary products that will later be thrown away. For instance as you grow from a kid you want the most expensive toy only to grow bored with it a week later. Rather than buying that toy only buy what you need. To reuse is find use for an item that has already been used such as buying clothes when you were a kid and growing out of them and instead of throwing them away hand them down to someone who can find use for them. To recycle is to reuse or to break down materials and reuse them for something else. For an example by using recycled tires you can make Artificial grass for a schools track and field.

 By examining Figure 1 we see the classic symbol of the “Three R’s” or Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The Symbol is wrapped around a circle overlapping the sides of the symbol with trees expanding from within circle. The Words around the circle are overlapping the figure itself and is white in contrast with the blue and green low tones of the figure which pop out of the picture and are easily legible. The circle within the figure is most likely a representation of the earth in a whole. The river represents the clarity of the waters and deer standing next to the river is a representation of the wild life. The trees in the figure represent the forests and more than likely the one tree expanding out of the figure is a message saying instead of cutting trees down let them grow. The eagle flying high above is a symbol of our country the United states and this Figure is dedicated to us and try and get us as a whole to support “The Three R’s” and contribute toward fighting pollution.

Some ways of reaching out to people are talking about different animals who are endanger of dying out due to pollution but another tactic is making them somewhat guilty of their wasteful behavior and introduce simple means of using disposable materials. In figure 2 the method used to reach the viewers is insults. We read in parenthesis, “Make yourself” in all caps stating that the message displayed is toward the viewer reading this and following words written in big bold capital letters saying “Feel Better Go Green!” with the words “feel” and the word “go” being the biggest of the few words and shout out emphasis. Analyzing these words specifically reveal that both of them are action verbs and both are followed with an adjective. Following this message is another phrase in parenthesis saying, “Because we’re the only ones that matter!” All together this message is saying by going green it will make you feel better about yourself and you’re the only one that counts. Continuing on in the small text almost insults the reader and states that using disposables does nothing but benefit yourself in thinking you are doing the right thing and tells the reader to give up on “consuming just what you need and clean up after yourself” following this message says “Get over yourself, deal with the truth, and just try being a good person.”

In the visual part of Figure 2 we can see a green background with light green blotches that form what looks like North and South America. The color green is most likely a contribution to the message and to support “Going Green.” Why North America is in the midst of the picture is probably indicating that this message is targeting America in general. Big bold letters are most likely to grab the attention of the viewer and with the pure white letters and the green background it pops out and essentially says “come look at me” so to speak. The word Green is illustrated with grass and leaf vinyl’s showing that this word in particular is the most important. After this message though the words get really small as if the message is trying to drag the viewer closer and ultimately saying “Be a good person.” Insults can be a very effective way to get through to someone especially when they fail to hear the first time.

Since the time of the great depression resources have dimmed and the world is finally realizing that recycling is a really good tool to have. Stated in Figure 3 is a Simple yet blunt statement saying “Go Green” in all bold capital letters showing this is the main point of interest and following this is a statement “There is no Planet B.” A play on words where word “Plan” is replaced to say “Planet” instead to signify that it is our planet we live on now that has no plan b and the resources we have now are what we have. This statement is promoting the message “Go Green” in an effort to reduce the waste and pollution of the planet. Because let’s face it in reality there is in fact no plan B.

Looking at the visual aspect of Figure 3 we can see the Background is lightly shaded in green from a green outer edge to an almost white inside. The texture of the background looks like a crumpled up piece of paper that has been unfolded and reused to display this message, probably saying recycling is a good approach. The short phrase “Go Green” is in all caps and is in the center of the message as to say this is most important. The letters themselves are made up from grass and is a rich green in contrast to the almost whitish green background. Just under this phrase is a pure white statement message to enhance the cause of the original phrase.

All 3 of these ads have the same theme of going green with the hope of saving the planet. Whether the concept of “Going Green” is “Trendy or True” is for viewers to decide. These ads reach out to individuals in the hopes of fighting for a common purpose and people determined to support the going green movement gain recognition and allow other people to support “Going Green.” Environmentalism is part of everyday life in society because most of us recycle and most of us receive hand-me-downs and if maybe we show a little more effort maybe just “Most” would turn into “All” and we can stick to “Plan A” instead.