When lifeboats are a bad thing

Some Vancouver commuters were given an unusual reminder about the possible effects of climate change on their way to work this morning.

To get passersby thinking about rising water levels resulting from global warming, Vancouver’s Rethink had two red lifeboats strung from the roof of its downtown office, one with a sign saying “Stop global warming” and the other promoting the website of the agency’s client, “Offsetters.ca.”

Those passing by the street corner at Granville and Pender also encountered a lifeguard handing out information, while life jackets were stowed underneath nearby benches.

Donovan Woollard, chief operating officer for Offsetters, a Vancouver-based company that helps individuals and companies offset emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases linked to climate change, said the attention-grabbing stunt had two purposes—make people more aware of the organization and think more about climate change.

“We wanted to use humour and juxtaposition to make people think about what the implications are with climate change and the steps that all of us take to [raise awareness of] or mitigate it,” he said.

Rethink also worked on a rebranding of the three-year-old non profit company including a new logo and website design.