Every year, the world produces about 1.4 billion tons of garbage, more than the weight of 3,800 Empire State buildings. In the coming years, consumption is only expected to continue increasing, with more people consuming more stuff all around the world. Through short and playful animated videos, Wasted explores the reasons behind this massive growth in waste and consumption, and aims to create awareness around these serious issues. Topics of interest include: history and evolution of garbage; food waste; pollution of factory farming/meat industry; and the effectiveness of recycling.
Using colorful and simple animation techniques, we aim to create videos that are informative, playful, and easy to understand for a wide range of viewers. To avoid making large figures and data points seem abstract, relatable examples are always used, like the one above dealing with the Empire State building. The combination of playful graphics and approachable language aim to make the issues around waste and consumption accessible and sharable. Every episode of Wasted was published in both English and Spanish to reach a wider audience.
The Wasted series has garnered approximately 2.5 million video views across Youtube and Facebook video players. The series was shared by a number of food and environmental organizations, including Compassion Over Killing, Food Revolution Network, and Food Mythbusters. The videos have sparked meaningful discussions about waste and consumption with viewers sharing personal experiences and recommendations. For example:
"Instead of recycling, why not reusing? This country has been "recycling" for decades. The garbage it produces is the most harmful for wildlife, especially in the oceans: plastics. How much plastic is really recycled? Common sense: reuse and consume less (go for your needs not just for your wants)."
