Here’s a Damn Good (and Kinda Creepy) Reason to Stop Littering

Abbie Stutzer — Sat, 30 May 2015 08:00:52 +0000

If you have ever thought you could spit out your old piece of gum on the ground without notice, think again. Technology exists to help stop littering; it can hold you and every other litterbug accountable for dumping your trash on the streets.

According to Wired, a Hong Kong ad agency and non-profit, and Ogilvy, an American company, have teamed up to make an impressive (and kind of creepy) ad campaign that’s targeting litterbugs.

Ogilvy joined up with Hong Kong Cleanup, the nonprofit, to help curb Hong Kong’s massive trash problem. To combat the problem head-on, the firms recruited the help of Parabon Nanolabs, a Virginia company, that has figured out a way to use small traces of human DNA (as small as a nanogram, which is smaller than one billionth of the mass of a penny) to create realistic digital portraits of litterbugs.

“Parabon began developing this technology more than five years ago in tandem with the Department of Defense, mostly to use as a tool in criminal investigations,” reports Wired. “Parabon’s technique draws on the growing wealth of information we have about the human genome. By analyzing saliva or blood, the company is able to make an educated prediction of what you might look like. Most forensic work uses DNA to create a fingerprint, or a series of data points that will give a two-dimensional look at an individual that can be matched to pre-existing DNA samples.”

After DNA is detected, it’s taken to a genotyping lab and the data collection of the offending litterbug begins. The technology used can easily pin-point a person’s eye, hair, and skin color, as well as skin freckling, and face shape. To predict age range, Oglivy uses market research. According to Wired, people who are aged 18-34 are more likely to chew gum, and people who are 45-plus are more likely to be smokers.

Now, this all may seem a bit extreme to catch a litterbug, but that’s the whole point of an ad campaign. In reality, all the people in this project weren’t actually shamed — they gave permission for their likeness to be “published.” And this technology is now only strictly used from criminal investigations. But, like any good campaign, this thing worked and got people talking. Part of the conversation of course is about littering and the whole “if you aren’t anonymous, will you do it” idea. But it also tackles DNA appropriation… Two big conversations from one tiny campaign. It’s all pretty impressive.

Related on EcoSalon

Are We Finally Weaning Off the Bottle?

Littered Cigarette Butts Used For Green Energy

Bergwerk Breathes New Life into Recyclable Materials from Rags to Riches

Image of chewing gum on street from Shutterstock

The post Here’s a Damn Good (and Kinda Creepy) Reason to Stop Littering appeared first on EcoSalon.

40 Gorgeous Photos of Asia

Jessica Marati — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 20:00:52 +0000

If these photos don’t make you wanna quit your job and travel the world, we don’t know what will.

Asia’s diversity never fails to astound. Nowhere on Earth can you find a greater variety of cultures, languages, races, ethnicities, religions, climates, and geography. It’s mind-numbing.

These photos provide just a taste of what Asia has to offer. They’re also an important reminder of the need to protect what makes the world’s largest continent unique. Though the scenes depicted here may seem worlds away, our choices always have an impact wherever we may roam, reminding us to tread lightly.

(above) Penang, Malaysia

Bangkok, Thailand

Great Wall, China

Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

Huashan Mountain, China

Udaipur, India