Refuse | Reuse: A Campaign for the San Francisco Environment

Last month I had a great opportunity to work with the San Francisco Department of the Environment and their agency on their “Refuse Reuse” campaign. The campaign, which ran concurrently with the Global Climate Action Summit, encourages residents of San Francisco to replace single-use products such as disposable cups and plastic eating utensils with reusable products like coffee mugs and reusable utensils to help eliminate waste.

According to Luke Easdale, senior marketing strategist for the San Francisco Department of the Environment, San Franciscans use an estimated 300 million disposal cups a year. This campaign aims to reduce those numbers.

I spent 2 days in San Francisco photographing the benefits of using reusable products in a wide range of places and situations, along with the creative team and the Department’s staff. We spent time in the Financial District, Chinatown, and at the Civic Center with an awesome group of models and very talented Art Director. The photos are being used in ads, as a part of their social media campaign, on signs on Muni and BART, and on signs and banners throughout the City.

The campaign was kicked off with a free coffee mug giveaway event at the San Francisco Civic Center. A line of people, waiting for their free mugs and coffee, snaked outside the “Refuse Reuse” at their pop-up booth. Here’s an article on the event that describes the kick-off and a little more information on the campaign.

It was a pleasure to be a part of something that serves a great purpose and can make a difference in keeping waste out of our landfills! I hope to work on more projects like this in the future.

Signs on MUNI