An Entertaining Community Project for the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond

WHAT: Bay Area residents contribute photos that artistically present scenes of renewable energy sources and the petroleum world, featuring electric vehicles in the foreground. The goal is to present indelible images that deliver messages of hope and pleasure and where the memorable juxtapositions promote moving beyond fossil fuels.

PLATFORM: On Pinterest or Instagram or both, amateur and professional photographers post their photos. (Is this compatible with Creative Commons licensing?)

EVENTS: Sponsoring organizations arrange one-time events where EV drivers pose their vehicles (and perhaps themselves) in front of scenic natural landscapes or picturesque (or grim and ugly) human-made backgrounds.

SUBJECTS: Oil refineries, gas stations with long lines and high prices, fuel tanker trucks, tanker ships; residential and commercial photovoltaic systems, wind turbines.

SCOUTING: Members of sponsoring organizations, especially ones like 350BayArea, local chapters of The Sierra Club and The Electric Auto Association, can scope out prime venues for EVs and images.

SPONSORS: 350BayArea, EAA, Sierra, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, PLugInCars.com, BayNature, BayLEAFs, The Goldman Foundation, others….

CONTEST: Public voting and a panel of judges will pick out the most compelling, emotional, and artistic images. The awards event can be a benefit for 350.org and Sierra’s Beyond Oil campaign.

PRIZES: subject to recruitment of sponsors.

DISTRIBUTION: Sunset and Bay Nature Magazines could publish stories. Curated images and posters can be printed or packaged into a physical book, sold by one of the sponsoring organizations or some other publisher.

BUDGET: A volunteer or a paid consultant (perhaps 100 hours @$50) for partnership liaison, coordination, social media. This can be a pretty low-budget effort.

SCHEDULE: Launch this sprinog. Perhaps after the Goldman Environmental Prize (25th Anniversary event is April 25), though this is a global event.

POTENTIAL: This project can inspire others in locations anywhere to begin similar efforts.