“Snowmen are threatened by climate change. Their hope is dwindling. Our hearts are melting,” states SaveOurSnowmen.org. The campaign, which focuses on how climate change affects people, animals, and snowmen, was launched by Cool Effects, an Francisco Bay Area 501(c)(3) nonprofit that allows individuals to create a tangible impact on climate change through a digital platform, providing consistent funding to the highest-quality carbon reducing projects around the world.
DIVERGE talked to the Jodi Manning, Director of Marketing at Cool Effect:
Where did the campaign “Save our Snowman” come from?
“Snowmen are threatened by climate change. Their hope is dwindling. Our hearts are melting.” We want to capture people’s attention and highlight the startling statistics on climate change, and the beloved icon of snowmen made the perfect metaphor. 2016 is the hottest year on record.
The snowmen in “Save Our Snowmen” represent the many species (e.g., animals and birds) that are going extinct, as well as the humans around the globe that are becoming refugees due to climate change.
Why is the ad significant to keep the discussion on climate ongoing?
The “Save Our Snowmen” campaign was created to appeal to all Americans concerned about the health of our planet. We know an estimated 130 million Americans are alarmed or concerned about climate change and are looking for a way to help.
The clever, creative tone of the mockumentary and the powerful insights shared are intended to inspire people to rally around saving a snowman, and, in turn, to help fight climate change. The video campaign will be distributed online via paid digital and social media and through earned media efforts encouraging individuals to share the #SaveOurSnowmen message to generate buzz.
Can you delve in to some of the projects on your site- i.e. Cookstoves in Uganda, Power in india?
What’s Cooking?
Improved Cookstoves In Ugandan Communities
In a country where 93 percent of people cook food over toxic fires, an unexpected invention is saving both the lives of locals and the planet at large: a cookstove. By making cookstoves affordable to Ugandans, this project is reducing carbon emissions by 58 percent per household. And just as important, it’s saving the lives of Ugandans and their families by lowering the absurd number of deaths from noxious smoke. By burning less charcoal and wood, Ugandans are emitting less CO₂. And by emitting fewer greenhouse gases, everyone can breathe easier.
Project Benefits:
Over 1 million tonnes of carbon are being reduced annually and the project is poised to expand with funding
Each new stove reduces charcoal and wood consumption by 50 percent
Families save around $110 per year—20 percent of their annual income—because they are reducing their fuel consumption
The use of 100,000 tonnes of charcoal is avoided each year. This lowers pressure on Uganda’s forests and the quantity of emissions created during the production of charcoal
Creates jobs and income in an impoverished area
Additional info (including all due diligence documents) listed on each individual project page, here: https://www.cooleffect.org/take-action/support-a-project.
How can people support your initiative?
We hope the mockumentary inspires people to take action to support climate change initiatives that will make a difference in reducing carbon pollution. Cool Effect makes it easy to do just that by enabling individuals to contribute directly to the highest quality projects fighting global warming. You can support an individual project or multiple through the “Coollection” via tax-deductible contributions. These transactions can be one time, subscription or a gift for friend, family or colleague.
What kind of feedback have you gotten from the site/campaign?
We’re thrilled to have around 55,000 community members, who have reduced over 10,000 tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere through nine carbon cutting projects in seven countries. Put simply, together, our community has reduced the equivalent of taking 2,000 cars off the road for one year.
Can you discuss your introducing your mockumentary on #GivingTuesday?
(#GIvingTuesday 11.29) Cool Effect launched the Save Our Snowmen campaign with the premiere of a mockumentary about the plight of snowmen faced with rising temperatures, while conveying a deeper message about the perils of climate change. Alysia Reiner, Orange Is The New Black and How to Get Away with Murder, served as the Master of Ceremonies for the campaign launch and mockumentary premiere.
A team of snowmen ambassadors engaged New Yorkers and the mockumentary was screened on the side of a double decker bus throughout the city. The snowmen encouraged people to contribute to the cause and/or share the campaign on social by posting selfies with them. For every social share from launch yesterday and through the end of December, Cool Effect will contribute one dollar per share toward the Save Our Snowmen initiative.
