Solutions to problems. Guerilla tactics.
Me in a Gorilla suit. The wrong type of guerilla (The inaugral Great Gorilla Run, London, 2003). 400 gorillas raced around the City of Westminster and absolutely NO-ONE had any idea what was going on. Fantastic.
Not Gorilla tactics. Guerilla tactics. Taking the fight to the streets. To the parks. To the dustbins. Way too much of our time is devoted to servility and it’s a breath of fresh air when individuals take action in a socially responsible way. So what do you do when a problem truly gets up your hooter? Deal with it.
A tweet from Copenhagen Cycle Chic piqued my interest earlier this week, leading to an article posted by Sandra on Classic Copenhagen. Incensed by the sight of coffee cups spilling over rubbish bins and rolling around in the wind, Sandra came up with an inventive solution. Dubbing her idea ‘test tubes’, Sandra mimicked a plastic cup dispenser using carboard tubes (of the type used to hold posters) and fixed them to the side of rubbish bins.
The problem……..
……the solution
How did this play out?
Day 1: No vandalism. No cups on the ground. A few cups in one tube.Day 2: No vandalism. No cups on the ground. A few more cups in both tubes.Day 3: No vandalism. No cups on the ground. Both tubes filling up.Day 4: No vandalism. No cups on the ground. Both tubes almost full.Day 5: No vandalism. No cups on the ground. Both tubes emptied, yay! This means the City got it too?Day 6: Removed by the City of Copenhagen. I guess the answer to my previous question would be “no”, then?
So it appears the City doesn’t get it (currently at least). But Sandra has put the spotlight on the problem, taken civic minded action and done something about it. Very, very admirable. Copenhageners seem prone to this type of stuff. The love handle, the cyclists trash can, the relentless drive to up the cycling ante. I’m inspired. I think it’s time to start cycling around with that design cap on.
‘Hold on tight’ – the Copenhagen love handle
Read Sandra’s full article on Classic Copenhagen .
