Offices are using photos of Greta Thunberg to force their staff to think twice about their plastic usage.
The teenager is known worldwide for being the face of activism. At just 16 years old, Thunberg is credited with leading protests, challenging world leaders and demanding change.
One of her lesser known roles, however, is as the girl who stares into the souls of office workers as they reach for a single-use spoon.
Images of Greta have started popping up in workplaces in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, according to Haaretz journalist Allison Kaplan Sommer, as employees attempt to deter others from using the unfriendly material.
Images shared online show how innovative environmentalists have printed off pictures of the teen looking particularly unhappy, and placed them around offices near plastic cutlery, single-use coffee cups and drink stirrers.
As a result, office workers are met with an angry glare whenever they go to use the products; a situation which will hopefully make them reconsider their plastic needs.
One image shows the 16-year-old staring out towards the viewer, with the caption reading ‘are you sure?’. Another quotes Thunberg’s UN speech with the words ‘How dare you’.
Though the images might not be enough to force the workers to stop using the items altogether, they work to remind people the material is bad for the environment, in turn encouraging a decrease in their use.
Social media users have praised the creative idea, with one suggesting offices should also show pictures of marine life suffering as a result of plastic pollution.
They wrote:
I hope it makes people think – I saw a huge amount of single-use plastic waste last time I was in Israel. How about some photos of marine life suffering because of plastic pollution?
However, it seems not all the office workers are too happy about being judged for their plastic usage, as one image shows the thought-provoking photo of Thunberg covered with a single-use coffee cup.
Of course, a more foolproof way to ensure the workers stop using plastic in their workplace would be to stop providing it altogether. By swapping plastic cups, spoons and stirrers for mugs and metal cutlery the workers would have no choice but to utilise the more environmentally-friendly options and reduce their waste.
Until then, however, the Thunberg guilt-trip method is definitely commendable. Every act to try and save the world is a good one!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.