In recent years in many US and European major metropolitan areas various  eco-friendly and anti-consumerism  organizations have been  staging  fully legal  acts of  protests such as the above "awareness creation mechanism" in which once a month in the UK a group of anti-consumer activists all pushing  deliberately-empty shopping carts ("trollys") form a human chain of sorts as they  push these symbols of consumerism  in a zombie like fashion around the megamart.  Thanks to Adbusters for this video posting. Incidentally the music playing as the background soundtrack is Goldfrapp's "Lovely Head" off the CD "Felt Mountain" (Mute). For more information on this Whirl-Mart project clck BreathingPlanet.Net.

I love when artists or activists, or a combination of both, take creative strides to transform common everyday urban areas into something unexpected,: something  new and useful or entertaining such as this time last year when fifteen related organizations across San Francisco including REBAR  transformed parking spaces all over the city into mini-parks for one day (Sept 21 2006) named "PARK(ing) DAY".

You may remember seeing this series of public space installations around San Francisco last year either in person or in the news. Either way take a few minutes to check the video above for a firsthand look at this citywide form of peaceful protest that delighted surprised San Franciscans.  Important to note was that this powerful civic statement was done without breaking any laws. Apparently once you pay for your parking space in SF County you can do with it as you please.  You gotta love it!