The Solution

“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall neversit.” -​ Greek Proverb

COVID has surfaced luxuries people took for granted, for example the freedom ofmovement. Many argue to build back better together, whilst others speculate that peoplehave a short memory. Facing this precipice, we wanted to create something that not onlycalls attention to urgent climate actions, but also gives people hope, who crave experiencesand connections.

Our goal is to raise awareness of reforestation and get people to donate to reforestationcharity now. Our chosen charity, OneTreePlanted.org, has a committed focus onreforestation and provides a global reach. Our target audience is the eco-conscious travelcommunity, who may not be aware of damages they do and/or available options to do good.

Current and past campaigns by One Tree Planted have featured giveaways, celebrityecologists, and behind the scene stories of local communities. Our solution couldcomplement their existing campaigns, and reach new audiences with focus on travel anddesign. Please note that we currently have no affiliation with One Tree Planted.

1. Verbal Concept

In the latest ​Travel in the Age of Covid-19​ report, Globetrender, a trend forecastingmagazine, predicted trends such as dream-trip planning, wilderness seeking, and sustainability paradoxes***​ ​. Its result shows that people are using the time to plan bigbucket-list trips, which usually involve long-haul flights. Furthermore, on the industrylevel, the colossal revenue losses may force environmental concerns to take abackseat once the recovery is underway. However, we must find new solutions toenable sustainable travel and take coherent climate actions.

Countless initiatives have promoted traveling locally, yet globetrotters will inevitablyhit the road again. For the latter, our solution prompts people to think outside the boxwhilst planning for the future dream trip and seeking wilderness. At first glance, whatappears to be a travel plan hides an indigenious tree species of the destination underits latin name amongst popular attractions. Emphasising on “Dream Trip” in theposter’s title aims to humanise and create an emotional connection. The pronoun,“my”, that precedes the latin name further promotes ownership and curiosity. Thenviewers are led to the key that resolves the mysterious “destination”, and explains theimportance and urgency of reforestation. Lastly, their eyes are drawn to the CTA“plant trees for tomorrow, today” and the charity’s URL.

This design takes the travel community beyond the wisdom of “take only memories,leave only footprints”, to also think about giving back. Funding trees today will notonly contribute to the local communities and the grand mission of globalreforestation, but also create hope and a unique destination for themselves toexperience in the future. This immediate action prompts individuals to rethink theirrelationships with space, time, community, planet, and their future self. While weseek reconnecting with nature, other wildlife travellers depend on the wilderness tosurvive and they need us to reforest the habitats today. We hope this concept willalso help charities and industry stakeholders to dream up more attractive options tomake offsetting carbon footprint a mandate that also benefits individuals.

2. Visual Concept

Typeface: Acumin — chosen for its simplicity, legibility and modernism.
Travel todo list — well-known travel destinations within the countries; places weyearn for.
Bright colours — saturated versions of the countries’ flags or identifiable sportingcolours
Trees — national trees of the countries chosen 

*https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6491/580?intcmp=trendmd-sci 

**https://www.nationalforests.org/blog/tree-planting-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-challenges-and-impacts-to-2020-projects 

***https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/travel-trends-after-coronavirus;https://globetrender.com/downloads/travel-in-the-age-of-covid-19/