Five Creative Impacts
Highlights from August / September
A quick update from us!
We’ll be hosting Animated for Impact at Bangkok Climate Action Week in early October, date TBC. This is the very first climate action week in Asia, which makes it especially exciting to see the region’s climate community come together. We hope to gather the creative community there too, and hopefully meet many of you in person.
Now, onto the inspirations from last month, a selection of five projects from our community and beyond that show how creativity can move people, shift perspectives, and open new conversations.
Let’s dive in.
From our community and Asia
🦧 Story Animals – Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas
Story Animals is a collection of short stories about animals, told by the humans who know them best.
For International Orangutan Day, we launched the story of Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas, one of the legendary “Trimates” alongside Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey. She is the ultimate orangutan conservationist.
For 54 years, Dr. Galdikas has led pioneering research, care, and conservation for Borneo’s orangutans. Her dedication, courage, and passion have transformed orangutan conservation worldwide and safeguarded the rainforests of Central Kalimantan.
We were privileged to speak with her about her life’s work. Her words are rich with wisdom and insight, and we’d love for you to read her story.
What we love:
Learning about animals through the experiences of people closest to them.
Stories that go beyond the usual documentaries.
Many of these stories have never been shared beyond the teller’s immediate community.
Image by With Roughe
🐘 With Rouge x Seratu Aatai – Jalan Arif
Animation studio With Rouge, together with Bornean non-profit Seratu Aatai, just released the third episode of Jalan Arif, a cartoon series about the unlikely friendship between Arif, a teenage Bornean elephant, and Ahmad, an oil palm worker.
At its heart, the show addresses how human-made roads are often at the centre of tensions between people and wildlife. It aims to educate workers in the fields about Bornean elephant behaviour and safety, while reframing roads from a place of conflict into one of respect, understanding, and exchange.
Fun fact: Gading, the one-tusked bull elephant portrayed as a school bully in the show, is a real elephant in the field. Some conservationists objected to Gading’s somewhat negative depiction, but as Dr. Farina explained, that’s exactly the point: don’t go near elephants in musth (A periodic condition in male elephants marked by a surge in testosterone, making them highly aggressive and unpredictable).
What we love:
Animation gives elephants a voice and personality.
Reframes conflict into dialogue and connection.
The episodes have so far resulted in 150,000+ viewers online and positive local reviews, sparking conversations around peaceful coexistence between people and elephants.
Bornean Elephant Introduction
Social Structures & Encounter Safety Protocols
Orphaned Elephant Response
🌊 Pariveśa Magazine – Issue 2
Pariveśa is a digital magazine featuring diverse and uplifting stories about our environment and well-being, paired with stunning visuals.
It is the brainchild of Santi Permana Rahayu, an ocean advocate and creative director, who came up with the concept, after nature — and sea turtles in particular — guided her through a difficult time in her life. That experience inspired her to blend creativity with marine conservation, resulting in a beautifully designed magazine, now in its second issue.
What we love:
One person using creativity to spark a ripple of inspiration.
A platform for stories you wouldn’t usually hear.
A beautiful magazine aesthetic that makes the stories shine.
Creative narratives motivated by our environment and well-being.
Image by Studio Birthplace
🌳 Studio Birthplace x Greenpeace – Respect the Amazon
Studio Birthplace’s latest collaboration with Greenpeace is Respect the Amazon, a fully 3D animated short film calling on us to stand together and demand world leaders respect and protect our future.
The Amazon rainforest, home to the most diverse plants and wildlife in the world, faces an urgent threat from industrial-scale agriculture and illegal gold mining. Scientists warn that at this pace, the Amazon may soon reach a tipping point. Few people realise that Big Agriculture is the new Big Oil with JBS, the world’s biggest industrial meat producer, driving deforestation for profit.
Communities across the Amazon are standing on the frontlines, pushing back. This November at COP30, political leaders will meet in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. Surrounded by corporate lobbyists, they will decide the future of the planet. The message they need to hear is clear: Respect the Amazon.
What we love:
Animation delivers a sharp, urgent message in 60 seconds.
A superhero-style narrative that grabs attention instantly.
Demand global leaders to respect the Amazon.
Image by Plastic Change
💥 Sexy Climate Change – Plastic Change
This campaign from Danish NGO Plastic Change took a bold approach: a fashion-style billboard outside the UN Global Plastics Treaty conference in Geneva. The twist? The message revealed that microplastics were found in 100% of semen samples and 80% of penises.
The campaign underscores that plastics aren’t just an environmental issue, they’re a direct threat to human health. By framing the message around our “sexiness” and “manhood,” it highlights how urgently we must protect both our bodies and our planet.
What we love:
Borrowing the aesthetics of luxury fashion for impact messaging.
Bold, surprising, and impossible to ignore.
A cheeky twist that turns plastic pollution into a conversation about “manhood.”
Seen on Sexyclimatechange’s instagram
Which story inspired you the most? We’d love to hear from you.
Thanks for reading!
With love,
🐋 Yanyie, RAN Collectives
