Act on CO2

by Eleonora Anello and Alessio Sciurpa

It's called "ACT ON CO2" the campaign in which the British Government is committed since 2007, with the aim of helping people to save both energy and money, offering at the same time a greater awareness of environmental impact, starting fro the emissions of carbon dioxide. This is an intergovernmental initiative that involves the Department of Energy and Climate Changes (DECC), the Department for Transport (DFT) and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) of British Government.

The claim of the campaign "Save money, save energy" immediately highlights the arguments of the campaign, focusing on the economic stimulus.
“ACT ON CO2” takes into account every area of people's lives and suggests how to behave in an environmentally friendly way at home, when travelling and when shopping. The narration has a great effect, thanks to the representation of everyday life that encourages the identification of target groups; it focuses on the efforts of a father who, facing with exorbitant amounts of his bills, tries to change his family’s habits. The message aims at convincing people that saving energy (and money) is a good bargain and can also reduce CO2 emissions that harm our planet.

The campaign, in addition to involving several institutional organizations, takes advantage of all traditional media: it is in fact composed by a series of TV, radio and the press adverts. The website is the container of all the ads and also the relational tool with whom the campaign interacts with its target and becomes the measure of its success.
There are several interactive tools, like a hotline for free advice on energy saving (feature that usually concernes institutional campaigns and instruments of customer service), a newsletter and information to help citizens in adopting a behaviour in accord to environment.
Most impressive tool is the ACT ON CO2 calculator, which calculates the volume of British emissions: just answering to some questions, in ten minutes it can quantify in a precise manner a sort of “pollution index”. The test is divided into three parts: home, transport and household appliances. A few simple steps and a smart graphic interface help surfers to save money.

The style of the campaign and the singularity of the issue also helped to implement a wide section of feedbacks: evidences from people who have already changed their habits and who communicate their satisfaction and their results; users who share tips and experiences to save energy. In addition, many spots have been distributed by ordinary citizens through their You Tube account.
There are also lots of interactive tools on the website, quick guides for cutting harmful emissions, information on climate change and links to external websites, dealing with the dissemination of CO2-issues through movies, videos, magazines and other publications.