Saatchi & Saatchi South Africa's digital arm, AtPlay, is responsible for creating the global site, which allows individuals to upload their PSPs and then engage and learn with other like-minded individuals.
Blue is spearheaded by Saatchi & Saatchi's worldwide's sustainability arm, Saatchi & Saatchi S, and moves beyond the enormity of the environmental crisis towards a social consciousness that aims to address global challenges. It is described as a movement for sustainability that embraces the environment, economy, culture and society.
“It's based on the premise that if individuals realise that a single individual effort can make a difference, then collectively, enormous change is possible,” says Ian Young, MD of Saatchi & Saatchi Cape Town.
“Blue aims to inspire one billion people around the world to adopt personal sustainability projects (PSP) in order to solve global problems, specifically through sustainable choices that they can make to enrich their daily lives.
“PSPs can be anything from growing one's vegetable garden, making a commitment to make time to play with the kids outdoors. We're trying to make sustainability simply irresistible,” says Young.
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A stakeholder briefing held earlier this month was attended by inspirational speaker and environmentalist-adventurer Braam Malherbe (the first man, along with David Grier, to run the entire length of the Great Wall of China, and more recently a coast to coast run from Nambia, through South Africa to Mozambique, raising funds for Operational Smile), Andy Condor of recyclable waste distribution and logistics company, Clearer Conscience, and editor of Simply Green and Odyssey magazines, Chris Erasmus, and Urban Harvest's Ben Getz, who provides a unique service using the latest in ecological design and permaculture to set up and maintain home vegetable gardens.
Young says to jumpstart Blue in South Africa, already 104 employees of Saatchi and Saatchi SA have uploaded their PSPs on the site.
Saatchi & Saatchi employee Nadine Bushell, whose personal PSP is growing rosa tomatoes with organic compost from her wormery, is one of those responsible for launching Blue at Saatchi & Saatchi. She says that she's excited about being able to make a small but meaningful difference to the world her son will one day inherit.
“We're thrilled to have such buy-in amongst our staff. Today is a celebration of our commitment to a brighter future. It feels great knowing that you're part of something bigger than yourself - something that can make a real difference,” she enthuses.
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