Street artists have been using a technique called “reverse graffiti” for decades, but now green marketing firms are beginning to use it for the purposes of publicity.
Jim Bowes, founder of the Dutch marketing firm GreenGraffiti, told The New York Times: “The city is our canvas. We can tell a story over the course of two blocks if we want to, without paper, without ink. We don’t want to be the bad guys anymore; we want to show the world that the advertising industry is capable of providing alternatives.” With stencils and high-pressure water sprayers, GreenGraffiti washes down the selected pavement, leaving behind “clean” words and images that are clearly visible through the surrounding grime. GreenGraffiti has licensing agreements in over 10 countries and is among a growing number of environmentally conscious marketing firms that are concerned more about the "sustainability of the medium than that of the message."
Bowes said a 55-inch-square 'reverse graffiti' message takes about four to five gallons of water compared to 30 times more to produce a similar size paper poster. And they even compensate for that by matching every liter they use with a donation of a liter of clean drinking water to a drought-stricken region. They also plan to switch from gasoline as the power source for the pressure hose pumps to renewable fuels.
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