The Fun Theory

How many times have we walked past a ton of trash sitting just feet from the nearest trash can? How hard would it have been to "pitch in"? Sadly, pitching in seems a chore. And yet, simply crumpling up a piece of paper seems to convert us: suddenly we're the Shaq Attack, and making baskets is our thing. This little psychological quirk is so strangely affecting that people around their world populate their iPhones with a virtual version of trashketball! With the trashketball can, we can turn a real life task into a really fun sport.

By using competition and social networking, we can make walking places more fun, encouraging fitness and a reduced reliance on cars for short trips. This is a pedometer (step-counter) that can be either an application for a smart phone or a separate USB device. It counts your steps through the day, then uploads them automatically to a website that tracks everyone's steps. On the website, you can compete against others, as well as create groups to compete against each other groups, so your office or school could have competitions within itself and with other schools and organizations.

My idea is simple: we would encourage people to believe that there were very naughty, but very shy urban monkeys living in our public bins. These naughty monkeys love to eat what we throw away but being sensible people we don't want to encourage that kind of behaviour! So, official looking signs would be placed on our rubbish bins/trash cans advising people NOT to feed the monkey. The monkeys have no manners at all. This will never do! Every time someone puts in their rubbish a loud ''munch munch' or 'burp' will erupt from the bin.

The striking simplicity of this installation proves that the combination of sports and waste disposal is an effective and fun way to change people's behaviour to better. During a couple of days of filming, our Basketball Bin disposal unit was widely appreciated and used by the customers of a nearby fastfood restaurant. The installation consists of a readymade Basketball bin, wood and a trashbag with masking tape net-decor. Submitted by Sascha Nelle, Simon Frambach and Rosa Heinz.

ReZoo is a recycling machine/game for children that is designed to encourage recycling through fun. It is a three sided been, on each side accepting different recyclable item: bottles, paper and cans. Each side of the toy is a touch screen displaying animated animal character. In the idle state the animals are sad and bored, and when approached by a person they call for attention by making animal sounds. By inserting appropriate recyclable item, the animal will play with it a bit (juggle for example) and throw it into the recycling can on the screen.

Ticket: "Buy None Get Two Free (ice-creams) - For you and a homeless friend". Give to those who wouldn't normally speak with a homeless person. The enticement and mutual enjoyment of a free ice-cream each may help break down the social barriers and get them talking. It would then have long lasting benefits, for the cost of just a few ice-creams.

Submitted by Peter Hopper

The problem is that people are always going up the escalator and not the stairs. How can we make them change? We can make the Billy Jean stair case. The Billy Jean stair case is a set of stairs that lights up around your foot when you step on it. The Billy Jean stair case should make people stop useing the escalator because it is fun to do.
Submitted by McLean Masuch.

The idea is to ask artists to design or decorate a big PIGGY BANK just like the art cows in Chicago streets These piggy banks are just tall enough so that a 9 year old child can reach the slot at the top of the piggy bank to put in the money (either paper or coins). As soon as the hand with the money passes the light sensor inside the slot near the opening - a sound recording is activated and the theme song - "That's all folks." - of Porky Pig is played. but, instead "Thank you folks." is played.
Submitted by Godi Gutierrez

What is the matter? We would like people to bring their old batteries for recycling. But how? Let’s imagine the situation: A recycle bin in the middle of the street, behind it a green background (like for the cinema), in front of it a video camera. You put your bag with batteries in the bin. After that you will be recorded during ten seconds. Do what you want! Be creative! And here comes the real innovation: Find yourself back on the Internet!! Thanks to the green background you and the bin will be inserted in a random video/background: a beach, a mountain, a city, the sky.