Submitted by: Manuel Garcia; Eileen Hsu; Pouya Jahanshahi; Masato Nakada; Michelle Park and Maece Seirafi-Najar of California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Valencia, California, United States

Project advisors: Paula Daniels; Jane Galbraith; Stephanie Pincetl; Joseph Prichard and Louise Sandhaus

Rethink Your Green was selected because it is a well thought out and articulated campaign that would target a specific audience.

Project statement

“California is facing an unprecedented water crisis. The combination of drought, court ordered water restrictions, global warming, and an increasing population has placed a major strain on the existing infrastructure. We need to prepare now for the future.” —Senator Diane Feinstein

Los Angeles is a dry Mediterranean-type climate. Local water sources alone are not sufficient to provide for the enormous population of the region. Much of the water we depend upon comes to our city from great distances and is drawn from rapidly dwindling sources. In light of projected population growth it is crucial that Angelenos learn to curb wasteful water consumption habits before it is too late.

The largest source of urban water consumption in Los Angeles is outdoor use. By some estimates as much as 60 percent of our total water usage goes towards landscaping and other similar purposes. This figure could be dramatically reduced if Los Angeles home owners could be convinced to replace their water-hungry “traditional lawns” with drought-resistant California native gardens or other sustainable alternatives.

Our research reveals that homeowners in Los Angeles have a variety of strongly held reasons for maintaining a traditional lawn. Some believe that they are making an environmentally friendly “green” decision by keeping their lawn. Some are concerned with saving green, and believe that replacing their lawn would be too expensive, others simply are accustomed to the lush greenness of a manicured lawn. Our campaign asks Angelenos to rethink their notion of “green” by showing the hidden costs of a traditional lawn (environmental, financial and aesthetic) and the benefits of California native gardens and other sustainable alternatives. Moreover our campaign will empower the public to take action by providing in-depth information and step by step instructions about how to make the switch to more sustainable and water-wise yards. In contrast to the sometimes hectoring manner of other PSAs our campaign’s voice will be positive and upbeat.

Our campaign strategy is divided into three overlapping phases: 

• Build awareness: This stage of the campaign seeks to educate the public about the strained state of Los Angeles’ water supply; specific attention is drawn to the enormous amount of water wasted in growing and maintaining traditional lawns.

• Present alternatives: With this phase of the campaign we introduce the public to sustainable alternatives to the conventional lawn. The goal is to proved basic information about, and illustrate the beauty of, sustainable landscaping. As the appeal of the lawn is so deeply ingrained it is important to present a variety of compelling and visually stunning alternatives.

• Provide resources: Choosing to replace your lawn can be a daunting decision. Home-owners can become frustrated by the lack of user-friendly information about how to make the switch. Utilizing both print and web, our campaign will present home owners with simple yet detailed information and tools that will guide them painlessly through the process. Additionally our website will serve as a social network through which homeowners can share advice and encouragement.