No Butts, No Borders

An inspirational tale of the power of Internet commentary:

I read about Eretz Lelo Bdal (Country without cigarette butts) first on the environmental blog Green Prophet, where I also write. While I was shocked to learn about the damaging effects of cigarette butts, which don't biodegrade and release toxic chemicals for years, I was also disappointed in the campaign's logo, which was generous with Israel's borders and implied that the campaign identified with keeping Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan.

Eretz Lelo Bdalim is hardly the only organization to use the expansionist Israeli map; all newspapers use it for weather forecasts, the "Green Light" traffic safety company uses it, as do dozens of other groups who want to put some shape of the country in print.

But perhaps because it was a new campaign and I had access to founder's blog, I dropped a comment to Hanan Shteingart.

"Great job on doing this campaign. But can I ask why you chose a map that includes Gaza and the West Bank?"

Shteingart replied in email that "It's sad to me that instead of focusing on the campaign you choose to accuse me of having hidden political motives (which I don't). I didn't choose the map, the student union graphic designer did. Surely if she had drawn in borders, someone would email me about why I am giving the Palestinians a state. At any rate, I don't think this is the place to involve politics in what is connected to human cultural heritage. And I'm sure that in Gaza they are also throwing their cigarette butts on the beach."

Me: "I think what you are doing is important, with or without giving the Palestinians a state. But I wrote to you because the small things show political motives, even if we don't want them to. Perhaps we have reached a point where apolitical Israeli organizations cannot use maps in their logos."

HS: "If I had a graphic designer I would redo the logo. But a lack of borders doesn't have to imply occupation. It can also imply unity and solidarity."

I thought the exchange was over when three weeks later I received a surprising email from Shteingart with a link to a reengineered site for the cigarette campaign. Now I urge you to go there, especially if you read Hebrew, and see the newly apolitical logo in context: