Saturday, May 05, 2012

Wake Up and Smell the Permafrost

In preparation for 5/5 I've been putting signs up around LA and the Bay Area all week, and I'm sure a few of them lasted until today.  The one above stayed up over six lanes of I-80 for at least three days, while the one below was up for at least five. Over 110,000 cars passed by them each day.
(Click on photos for better view.)

The sign above only stayed up for a few hours in Berkeley, but whoever took it down apparently just needed the bungees and left it behind so I was able to rehang it in San Francisco:

Permafrost is the ancient organic matter in the northern hemisphere's tundra that's been kept frozen for the last 11,000 years and is now, thanks to global warming, beginning to thaw. As it thaws out it releases CO2 and methane into the atmosphere, making the temperatures rise even more, speeding up the thawing process and creating a feedback loop which may well be unstoppable.
The only solution I've been able to come up with so far would be to cover the tundra with vinyl or plastic sheeting and vacuum out the methane before it gets into the atmosphere. This would require the manufacture and placement of thousands of square miles of plastic sheeting - a massive international effort unlikely to happen among governments who so far can't even agree that there's a problem.
In the meantime I'm using cardboard, paint and the freeway system to try and get people thinking. Signs are cheap and easy to make. Kind of fun too, once you get into it... just tracing and painting. Each of these photos represents three or four hours of work.

Any place you can see while driving is a place you can put a sign that'll be read.  Just about any fencing you can see can become a billboard just by attaching some cardboard and paint with a couple of bungees.  
And it's a hell of a lot of fun.
Irvine
Richmond
Santa Cruz
El Cerrito
Los Angeles
Oakland
More info at Freewayblogger.com
I've hung 323 signs since January 1st without any problems from authorities. Please send any questions, comments or slogan suggestions to freewayblogger - at - yahoo - dot - com

8 comments:

double nickel said...

Bravo!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for what you're doing

Anonymous said...

You guys do realize the weather record is inacurate at best and only goes back at the most about 300 years. Humans have been been around for about 100,000 years. So who's to really know it was the hottest year really? Also, even if was the hottest year ever and the entire permafrost melts it just means parts of the earth become less liveable, and other parts like Alaska become nicer places to live.

Anonymous said...

HOLY SH*T IT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING.

NOW.

Are you still putting these up? Please continue.

Russ said...

I like you kind anon...thank you good sir.

Anonymous said...

Give me a break. Your definitely a enviromentalist!! The so called permafrost has been melting for thousands of years since mankind. 2010 was probably not the hottest year but if you want to believe it so be it. I live in the sticks. I cut trees down for a living. My house is made from wood. I shoot animals for food and I own 2 SUVs that get 13 to 15 mpg. Just like trees the permafrost recycles itself. When it melts, more developes. So I'm sort if you take it wrong but this is how I feel about it. Good signs though.

Anonymous said...

Chemtrails + haarp = weather modification. Watch why in the world are they spraying.

Anonymous said...

"The sign above only stayed up for a few hours in Berkeley, but whoever took it down apparently just needed the bungees and left it behind so I was able to rehang it in San Francisco"

This really made lol, atleast the sign was still there ya'know!
Anyway, i pass by your signs often in the east bay so i'd thought to give it a search, i assumed it had something to do with climate change. There is a climate problam i agree, though i also know the military/government are spraying chemicals into the sky. Ive wanted to put up signs saying "Look up, Chemtrails!" with maybe an arrow pointing up or some indication. You have inspired me! Ty!