Klimabündnis "overdeveloped"

If I lead a simple life, will I be able to have everything I want? Is it possible to buy less and yet own more? And can you be pleased with things that others have got tired of looking at? The campaign “A Good Life is Simple” leaves out the usual consternation and instead tells a brighter side of the story to prove that we can treat ourselves and help society at the same time.

Your tenth pair of jeans? A new television? Going out to eat even though the fridge is full? Western consumer habits have taken their toll on human beings elsewhere in the world and on the environment. Thus the populations in poorer countries have to suffer unsatisfactory production conditions in order to produce our goods, and resources are being continually exploited. And yet, although this is common knowledge, these negative scenarios have not led to a change in our behaviour. The campaign for the Climate Alliance is therefore trying to effect a change by painting a positive picture. 

Scholz & Volkmer developed motifs and ideas for the campaign that pick up on lifestyle habits and highlight sustainable alternatives. Topics such as riding a bike instead of driving a car, upcycling furniture and buying second-hand clothes instead of cheap fashion all play a central role. However, the focus of the campaign was not centred on achieving global justice but rather on the positive effects that living a simpler life can have on consumers.

After all, everyone can be happy about having a better figure due to the exercise of cyling, be proud of their individuality thanks to second-hand clothes, or profit from drinking tap water and not having to carry heavy crates of bottled water into their apartment. With humorous headlines, what is created here is an awareness of a better way of life. The role models for the project were indigenous peoples, from whom the Western world has much to learn. The campaign was brought together on the website overdeveloped.de . As the name suggests, we are indeed overdeveloped in many ways.

The occasion was the European Year for Development. 16 organisations and municipalities from 10 European countries came together in order to work on sustainable development in the world. The campaign started as part of the “The Future We Want” project.

So far, the campaign has been a huge success and it will continue in 2018. It is going be interesting to see in which areas our lifestyle can further be optimized and why it can be fun for each and every one of us to do something meaningful.