How do you make people care about a tree?
You make it the World’s Tallest Christmas Tree.
In 1999, conservationists in Tasmania were trying to draw attention to the logging of vast, ancient eucalypts in the Styx Valley.
But telling people “logging is bad” wasn't cutting through.
So instead, they picked one tree.
An 80-metre-tall eucalypt.
They strung it with more than 3,000 fairy lights, used beach balls as baubles, and lit it up on December 20, just before Christmas.
The media showed up, and so did the public. For a moment, the world’s tallest “Christmas tree” became a symbol of what was at stake.
By connecting this magnificent one tree to the emotion, nostalgia, and joy of Christmas, conservationists were able to turn public apathy into outrage.
Sometimes, the fastest way to make people care about something new is to wrap it in the meaning of something they already love.
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