Depending on where you are in Napa, you could get a handful of trick or treaters… or you could see over a thousand. Linda Brown, a member of Napa Climate NOW! has decided to create an interactive art installation in front of her Franklin Street home every year and this year… she created a haunted house that illustrates the growing threat of climate change. Because nothing is scarier than climate change!
The haunted house featured surfers barreling past iconic world landmarks like Big Ben, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Statute of Liberty and others. As trick-or-treaters arrived, they were able to enter a faux Noah’s Ark that illustrated the extinction of different species and after dark the entire exhibit lit up under black lights and at the back of the installation was an Instagram-ready photo opp where participants could have their picture taken at the “Dead or Alive” exhibit with painted images of dead and living coral reefs and a mermaid. There were also political cartoons on climate change posted on a wall as you exit.
Browns project also illustrates an opportunity that all of us have in our communities when it comes to taking action for the planet: our own homes and small networks of friends. Even now with our proliferation of marketing channels, word of mouth is still the marketing tool that is most likely to lead to a converted customer: 74% of consumers identify word-of-mouth as a key influencer in their purchasing decision. This is also true when it comes to spreading good climate science. Your voice matters most to the people that matter most to you. Can you believe that? In the right audience, you have more influence than Justin Bieber!!
This means that you could take action by putting a poster in your window, it means that you could contact us to host a climate action night in your home and invite a Napa Climate NOW representative to speak to you and your friends, it means that you could take an afternoon and turn your house into an art gallery for you block. Get local and talk to the people closest to you about this issue. This is the most meaningful dialogue you can have.
About 1,200 to 2,000 trick-or-treaters visited Brown’s home. And in spite of the dire subject matter (and the fact that nothing is scarier than climate change), we know that the kids had fun anyways.
See coverage of Linda’s installation in the Napa Valley Register!
Not to be outdone, Napa Climate NOW!’s Diane Beere and Sharon Parham also participated in the Dia de los Muertos celebration at the Boys and Girls Club. Their altar featured a melting ice block… a stand-in for our our melting ice bergs… and an array of imagery that highlighted the problems of a warming planet and the potential mass extinction that all of us now face.
All in all – Halloween was an opportunity for community, creativity, and dialogue!
PS – If you’re interested in learning more about climate change and it’s impact on waves… check this out.