Business & Tech

Follow up to '71 Crying Indian PSA: "I Want to Be Recycled"

Stamford-based Keep America Beautiful and Ad Council launch first campaign since "The Crying Indian" anti-littering PSA in 1971.

The average American produces 4.4 pounds of trash a day, and on the whole the United States produces over 250 million tons of trash a year. However, only about 35 percent is currently recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

To address this national concern, the Ad Council and Keep America Beautiful (KAB), which is headquartered in Stamford, have launched a PSA campaign to raise awareness about recycling, according to a release from Keep America Beautiful (KAB).

The Ad Council and Keep America Beautiful partnered together in 1971, creating an anti-litter campaign featuring Iron Eyes Cody, “The Crying Indian.” The PSA aired on Earth Day and became one of the most memorable and successful campaigns in advertising history and, according to the release, was named one of the top 100 advertising campaigns of the 20th century by Ad Age.

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According to research released in July by the Ad Council, only 52 percent of Americans say that they are “very” or “extremely” knowledgeable about how to properly recycle. Additionally, according to a release from KAB and the Ad Council, only 38 percent say they are “avid recyclers,” recycling as much as possible and willing to go out of their way to do so. While there are several barriers to recycling, among the most common reasons given for not recycling are that respondents did not have enough information about where to recycle or what types of materials they are able to recycle. 

The “I Want To Be Recycled” campaign is targeted to motivate Americans to recycle every day. Created pro bono by San Francisco-based ad agency Pereira & O’Dell, the campaign directs audiences to IWantToBeRecycled.org, a new website with a localized search tool.  

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The Ad Council is distributing the new PSAs for television, radio, outdoor and digital media to more than 33,000 media outlets nationwide. 

One of the featured TV PSAs, titled "Stadium," was filmed on location at M&T Bank Stadium, which is home to the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. The stadium's exterior, and additional select areas throughout the venue, is constructed partially from post-consumer recycled aluminum.  

Following the Ad Council’s model, the ads will run in space and time entirely donated by the media. 

Keep America Beautiful, headquartered in Stamford, recently chose Stamford's Westhill High School for its 'Keep America Beautiful' Recycling Award.


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