Nice Try, Leonardo

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the greener celebrities in Hollywood, and he produced this snazzy little online video called Water Planet.

What’s good about it? He means well and the production values are high. And I really liked his movie Catch Me If You Can.

What’s bad about Water Planet? Well, a lot. The video will simply not succeed at motivating many people to do something constructive about any of the problems it features. The short pounds viewers with one grim fact and stark photo after another. When the video reaches the optimistic part and the stirring music swells, it runs through a long, long list of solutions in a short time.

And here’s the rub: the list is of “things that can be done,” NOT “things you can do.” Ordinary well-meaning citizens would not know where begin to help bring about any of the solutions touted in the video. A U.N. Treaty? Investments in infrastructure? Yikes. That’s stuff for the leaders of government and corporations, not you and me.

The Water Words That Work approach would be to provide at least one simple thing that viewers can do right away to make a difference. After all, getting them to take that first step is the hardest part. So start by suggesting a first step that’s a little less daunting than a U.N. declaration that access to clean water is a basic human right.

Watch: Water Planet

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