Will These Images Convince Millennials to Vote for the Environment?

October 27, 2014

Photos courtesy of Patagonia

Visually striking images have always had the potential to help build movements and create change. Now Patagonia's “Vote the Environment” campaign challenges artists to use their skills to put the planet on the ballot.

The “Vote the Environment” campaign addresses an unsettling trend within the nation’s voting populace. A study conducted by Harvard University indicates that only about a quarter of Americans between 18 and 29 plan to vote in November’s midterm election. Through the campaign, Patagonia invites artists nationwide to submit material designed to spark a new trend of political proactivity among millennial voters. Any submission that meets the campaign’s requirements will be made available in the Vote the Environment gallery as posters, stickers, buttons, and a variety of other renditions. Three flagship designs are already available as T-shirts online and in stores. Some truly exciting young artists have already created submissions, in addition to a couple established veterans like Natas Kaupas. The art is slick.

So far, submissions range from eye catching typography:

To nostalgic photography:

To hip, provocative illustrations:

The “Vote the Environment” pinpoints a wonderful opportunity, but is by no means opportunistic. The bulk of any proceeds generated by the campaign are split between the original artist and the non-partisan organization HeadCount. Since 2004, HeadCount has supported registration among America’s youngest voting bloc through a persistent presence at concerts and music festivals nationwide. In just a decade of work, they’ve registered over 300,000 young voters. It would seem they’re doing something right. The money you spend at “Vote the Environment” funds a concentrated effort to illuminate the importance of young voters in the American political process.

For the artistically inclined, submission guidelines can be found on the Creative Action Network's site. Check out the Vote the Environment site to get involved with the program. In the meantime, check out the growing selection of submissions and tell us about your favorite piece in the comments section.

Bill Gaus was born and raised in San Francisco. The youngest of six children, he received his B.A. in 2014 in American History from St. Olaf College, a liberal arts school in Northfield, MN. His experiences include but are not limited to: sorter of documents in a historical archive, tutor of literacy in a summer school program, and purveyor of T-shirts in a tourist trap. When not at Sierra, Bill relishes his chances to watch Giants baseball and 49er football. He is an aspiring beer snob, and an amateur tour guide for out-of-town friends. If he could choose his own epitaph, it would read “Here lies a man who was slick with his words."