The Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, is under threat. Not only did 2.5 million hectares of it recently burn in August, but under the leadership of President Bolsonaro, the Brazilian government plans to open up the Amazon forest for exploitation. Which will mean a further destruction of the forest for the expansion of livestock farming and soybean cultivation.

Saving the Amazon rainforest matters to every single person on earth because of its crucial role for preventing the worst impacts of climate change. We can under no circumstances risk losing it.

The main problem: to Europeans the Amazon Rainforest is literally far from their beds. The deforestation of the Amazon is a statistic. They don’t feel any urgency to be part of the solution, because they’re not experiencing immediate impact. We decided to setup a European solidarity message that brought the Amazonia close to them.

It’s only when something is gone, that we realize how much we miss it. With that in mind, we brought back a beloved European landmark, holding a message to support the Amazon.

More specifically, when at the end of 2018 the original ‘I amsterdam’ letters in front of the Dutch capital’s world-famous Rijksmuseum were removed by the city council, an outcry went through international media. Until then, the letters had been one of the most photographed and recognized landmarks in Europe, familiar to millions of people worldwide.

We tapped into this momentum of increased attention by putting the iconic red and white 'I am' letters back in their original spot, only this time with a strikingly modified spelling: 'I amazonia'. The 22m x 3 m high replica sign aimed to get all eyes on another landmark at risk of disappearing, but a vital one to our survival: the Amazon rainforest.

Although the conversation about the climate is omnipresent today, it is striking that the focus on deforestation of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil had faded into the background in Europe. This campaign was a cry for attention, but not one designed to shock or brutalize our audience. It was setup as a solidarity message for the Amazon and open the eyes of Europeans by bringing it into their direct environment.

Rather than going into full activist mode with militants chained to trees or demonstrators disturbing public life, we chose to win the hearts of passersby, and create public sympathy for a petition with an emotional message: It’s only when something is gone, that we realize how much we miss it. Reaching 100.000 signatures for this petition would allow Greenpeace to to put this issue on the political agenda of the European Parliament and force them to face the problem.

Coming in at 23 meters wide and 3 meters high the ‘I amazonia’ installation was an exact copy of the original ‘I Amsterdam”-tourist attraction that was removed by the current city council. Making a customized replica of the selfie-magnet was though, and getting it at the exact same location where it once stood, was even tougher.

But once installed on June 26, 2019 passersby of all origins suddenly became activists for the Amazon Rainforest. Each selfie took by tourists & passersby attracted the eyes of European citizens on the Amazon Rainforest.

On the spot, people were asked to sign an online petition to put the topic on the agenda of the European Parliament. A video of the stunt was 10 days later posted on global and local social media channels of Greenpeace in order to spread the petition to an even wider audience.

This campaign, launched in the heart of Amsterdam, got the attention of the world on the Amazon Rainforest. With an installation that was only visible for 1 day, the stunt quickly drew attention of the global press and the online community.

Picked-up by the former president of the Brazilian socialist party, #IAMAZONIA became a symbol for the fight for the Amazon on Twitter.

More importantly, with an initial goal of 100.000 signatures to be collected, the number of signatures quickly counted up to 420.000 signatures in only a few days. Leading up to the result that counted: obtaining the required number of signatures in a limited time, in order to force politicians in the European parliament to stop looking away and put their eyes on the Amazon Rainforest before it’s gone.