Litter commercial brings humor to the serious issue of human waste in watershed
Sedona AZ (August 30, 2016) – Turning heads at the drop of trash in a bucket? Yep. That’s the new angle for an environmental message put out by the Oak Creek Watershed Council: Let’s Keep Mother Nature Sexy.
All things, even the most serious, can offer a comical dimension. Poking fun at darker environmental issues that surround Oak Creek offers a new angle to seeing ourselves and our human-ways without self-critical awareness. At the same time, humor can be a path of least resistance, and a way to communicate with surprising emotional depth.
The popularity of the area as a recreation destination has led to an increasing litter issue along Oak Creek over the last few decades. It’s an issue that goes hand in hand with efforts to sustain the tourist-based economy in the Sedona area. With burgeoning economic success, Oak Creek continually suffers unintended side effects of being Loved to Death.
“We wanted to develop a commercial that gave people a reaction. Our hope is to make a positive out of a negative – humor has often served as a messenger for a deeper issue at hand” stated Marie McCormick, Executive Director of the Oak Creek Watershed Council.
The trash attracts wildlife such as raccoons and skunks, who linger and defecate right next to the creek, adding to the E. coli concentrations in the water. High amounts of E. coli in the water indicate the presence of bacteria such as giardia or cryptosporidium. This type of bacteria makes people sick if swimming in it.
Coconino County funded this project through their Community Grants Program in August 2016. The OCWC worked with Rene Rivas Productions, a Flagstaff based-production company to produce the commercial. This project and its message are also supported by the Red Rock Ranger District in the Coconino National Forest.
For information on how residents and visitors can learn more about the stewardship of Oak Creek, visit http://www.oakcreekwatershed.org
To view the commercial, visit https://vimeo.com/178042215 or visit the Oak Creek Watershed Council Facebook page.