Taronga zoo climate heroes
As part of the launch of Taronga Zoo’s new Amphibians & Reptiles Centre (ARC), they were looking for a way to convey a message of sustainability beyond conservation. Working through Decade of Action, we realised that it was the very inhabitants of the ARC itself who would be best to teach the world about sustainable behaviours, because they’ve been doing it for thousands of years.
We used this insight to develop a layer of educational storytelling that that comes to life throughout the whole the building to be experienced by Taronga’s 30,000 weekly visitors permanently.
Working with illustrator Bill Hope, we turned the animals in the enclosures into animated characters that connected educational information about reptile & amphibian behaviour, with sustainable behaviour that anyone can understand.
Skye the Python speaks about shedding her skin only a few times a year as a metaphor for avoiding clothes wastage.
Dusty the Frilled Lizard talks about how he gets energy from the sun, and conserves it wisely.
Mica the Corroboree Frog teaches about using your voice to advocate for the environment. Spike the Snapping Turtle teaches us about avoiding food wastage.
The signage throughout the exhibition is educational, engaging, and interactive.
Speaking of interactive, we also worked with Lightwell to develop a digital screen you could play games on as the characters to continue learning about the topics and connect further with the characters.
