For the past 3 years, Lebanon had been crippled by a major garbage crisis. To make matters worse, the Lebanese Government had deliberately kept the people of Lebanon in the dark, with its intentions to build harmful incinerators, which would further affect the environment, increase pollution drastically and put the lives and wellbeing of the Lebanese people at risk. We needed to take action and make this invisible danger visible to the people of Lebanon.
So we created the Toxic Flag – a 35metre high art installation, that could be seen from across Beirut, that spewed black smoke into the sky. Raised high, the flag gave the people of the city a very real and vivid glimpse of the future that awaited the country, once the incinerators were operational. While the smoke was non-toxic and environmentally friendly, the flag, inspired by John Gerrard’s art, immediately became the symbol of Lebanon’s dark and dire tomorrow. Visible from all areas that would be affected by the incinerators, it immediately sparked the conversation in Lebanese households and highlighted the need for alternate and safer
options for garbage disposal.
The people of Lebanon are fiercely patriotic and love their country. This fierce pride is what made us use the flag as a means to communicate our message. We wanted the Lebanese people to view the Toxic Flag as symbol and a grim reminder of what was to become of their country, if the adoption of incinerators went unopposed. It would also shock the country into reacting to an issue that they’ve long grown apathetic towards.
Additionally we created an outdoor campaign that constantly reminded the people of Lebanon about the impact these incinerators would have on the future. The outdoors only showed within the danger zone (the zone in which people would be negatively affected by the incinerators). Messaging drove people to StopTheIncinerators.me, a website to sign the petition to secure a healthier and brighter future for Lebanon.
The results were astounding: 200M media impressions, $1M+ earned media, 70%+ rise in public awareness. The campaign made the front page news story for several daily newspapers and was featured on every major news channels in the country
The Toxic Flag was presented and debated on the floor of parliament, and plans for three incinerators have been suspended indefinitely.