TOW #17 - Visual Text

Surfrider is a foundation dedicated to the protection of oceans, coasts, and beaches.  Their advertisement, published in 2011, is raising awareness of littering in oceans and on beaches.  The ad features two large sushi rolls composed of garbage.  Instead of seaweed wrapped around the outside, it is plastic bags.  Rather than fish and vegetables inside the rice, it is blue trash and more plastic.  Underneath the rolls of sushi is the phrase, “What goes in the ocean goes in you” accompanied with a figure about how fish consumes 12,000 tons of plastic a year.  Surfrider’s advertisement reveals to viewers the honest reality of littering; what is put into the ocean is coming right back into us. 

Using trash to represent food scares viewers into seeing how their littering affects what they eat.  When trash is put into the ocean, fish and other marine animals ingest a majority of the waste.  Consequently, this trash is consumed again when we eat fish in dishes such as sushi.  Creating this image with trash as food evokes horror in viewers.  They are forced to realize they are eating the same trash they’re feeding sea creatures.  Pairing this visual with statistical evidence also enforces the harshness of littering, “fish off the West Coast ingest over 12,000 tons of plastic a year.”  Appealing to viewers’ sense of logic, this fact clearly indicates the excessive amount of litter that is thrown into the ocean yearly.  Effectively pairing visuals with evidence, Surfriders’s advertisement implants fear into viewers since they are eating trash which was eaten by fish, and the fact that tons of waste is thrown in to the oceans.  The foundation’s advertisement emphasizes the importance of preventing littering.  Not only does it hurt the oceans, but it affects all creatures on Earth.  It is essential to realize this to sustain life on the planet many call home.