Propaganda Posters Project

Today is V-E Day.

Victory in Europe occurred 66 years ago on this day, May 8th 1945 but if you were to go into your local bookshop you might be forgiven for thinking that it wasn't such a different time.

Scouring the shelves you might find "Digging for Victory: Wartime Gardening with Mr Middleton"  which contains  "pearls of wisdom to a new generation of gardeners who are increasingly interested in growing their own food."

A timely publication in light of the recent surge in allotment owners.

Or how about Sucking Eggs: What your Wartime Granny could teach you about Diet, Thrift and Going Green by Patricia Nicol

Full of interesting facts set out in a lighthearted tone, Patricia compares our daily lives with those of our wartime grandparents. There are handy hints sections and it's full of great ideas.

Patricia feels our Parents and Grandparents in contrast to us, were model global citizens. Their carbon footprints barely left an imprint. They wasted almost nothing and what they had no use for they recycled. They dug for victory and grew their own vegetables, as more and more of us are again beginning to do.
Here's a photo of our own little plot at home.

Image: Patent Pending Projects

Patricia Nicol goes on to say that our Grandparents did not have a disposable culture like we have.
They made do and mended. They salvaged. As evident in these World War 2 Posters.

Decades before "No Logo" became an international rallying cry, they were pioneering anti-consumerists. They did thrift years before it became a fashion model’s fad. The second-hand shop and the recycling bin were their generation’s invention.

Sometimes lives depended on it.

Some are just plain propaganda poppycock!

These posters were used to inform, educate and inspire the masses to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle during a time of crisis.

Some might say that we are in the midst of different crisis.

Green Patriot Posters are continuing on with these themes and have released a book of 50 detachable, read-to-hang posters on the theme of sustainability by some of the world's most prominent graphic designers and artists.

 

Check out their website which allows you to create your own posters or vote for your favourite.

As we look back on V-E day and remember the sacrifices that were made for us, maybe we can think about being a bit more clever about our own waste and try and recycle a bit more and hopefully this new batch of posters will become more of a nostalgic item in years to come rather than another reminder of what we should be doing.