This Roadside Billboard in Peru Grows Lettuce
UTEC and FCB Mayo's Latest Project Follows Water-Generating Billboards
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Peruvian engineering school UTEC and agency FCB Mayo are known for their ingenious outdoor advertising feats with water -- previous campaigns include a water purifying billboard and a water generating billboard. The latest takes H20 one step further, using it to grow lettuce.
Placed in the Bujama region of Peru, where irrigation from local rivers is often contaminated, the "Air Orchard" billboard consists of 10 large dehumidifiers that carry water through a series of tubes coated in nutrients. The white PVC tubes also reflect the sun's rays and boost photosynthesis in order to grow healthy heads of lettuce.
More than 2,800 heads of lettuce are being given away weekly to passersby and the local community from the billboard site on the Panamericana Sur, Peru's largest and most important highway. The free lettuce is available Fridays afternoons, Saturdays and Sundays until the first week of April.
It's another cool idea that shows the smarts of UTEC students, but the idea of lettuce-growing billboards isn't totally new. Back in 2006, McDonald's and Leo Burnett erected a salad-growing sign to show the freshness of the fast feeder's healthy menu offering.