Choose Earth — Fifth Wall’s Mural Campaign
If you’re already familiar with Fifth Wall, then this blog might also read familiarly, because we feel like we’ve said it a billion times: the real estate industry is the climate culprit hiding in plain sight.
But if you’ve never heard of Fifth Wall before — if you just walked by our mural and scanned a QR code because you were intrigued by the message or captivated by the art — here are a few quick facts that might shock you:
- The real estate industry is the single largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions — it emits more greenhouse gases than the climate offenders you hear most often about: transportation, agriculture, and manufacturing.
- The real estate industry also happens to use more energy and consume more raw materials than any other industry — two other stark indications of real estate’s role in the climate crisis.
- Rough estimates show that it will take $20 trillion or more to decarbonize the real estate industry — and over the past decade, the industry has invested only $95 million into climate tech. A gap we need to close if we have any hope of tackling the climate crisis.
The problem is, when most people think of the world’s biggest climate offenders, they most often think of airline operators, oil & gas companies, or even Amazon. Rarely do people think of hotels, shopping malls, offices, or apartment buildings. And we think that’s a big problem.
Why? Because the world is warming at an alarming rate, and major industries are more likely to help reverse that trend if they’re pressured by their most important stakeholders…like their customers or tenants. Corporations need to act swiftly and boldly to dramatically reduce their carbon emissions and help preserve our planet, and this is especially true for those industries that are doing the most harm. The real estate industry has escaped public outcry thus far which means that we are way behind where we need to be to solve real estate’s emissions issues and meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.
That’s why we launched Fifth Wall’s Climate Tech Fund. To invest in the technologies that will actually decarbonize the real estate industry for good. We’ve already raised more than $140 million in pursuit of that goal (which makes us the single largest venture fund focused exclusively on decarbonizing the Built World), and we intend to raise $500 million in this inaugural fund. While $500 million is no small chunk of change, it represents only a small fraction of the money required to achieve zero emissions in real estate. We need some help. We need your help.
To that end, we decided to launch a campaign to raise awareness that the real estate industry needs to change their practices and invest in climate tech. We believe art can be provocative, so we decided to partner with artists in select cities to create murals that would, hopefully, stop people in their tracks. We’re glad we have your attention.
THE FIRST MURAL: NYC
The first of these murals — should we call it our Sixth Wall? — is in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, and we timed it to coincide with Climate Week NYC. We partnered with Beautify Earth to find the perfect wall and the perfect artist to bring this campaign to life, and we’re lucky enough to have found both.
- The Location: 11 Franklin Street, Brooklyn, NY
- The Muralist: Steffi Lynn (Instagram: @haveanicedayy_, Website: steffilynn.com)
And for good measure, Steffi painted the mural using Graphenstone paint which is a natural and sustainable coating formulated without toxic chemicals and free of microplastics.
We also had a lot of fun working with BBMG, a branding and social impact agency, to draft up the messaging for this installation, which reads:
“BEFORE WE BUILD ON OTHER PLANETS, SHOULDN’T WE CLEAN UP OUR OWN?
CHOOSE EARTH. INVEST IN CLIMATE TECH NOW.”
Yes, we’re admittedly poking a bit of fun at the so-called Billionaire Space Race. It’s not that we have any explicit issues with space exploration — many of us would love to travel to space at some point — in fact, we’ve invested in ICON, a company developing advanced construction technologies (think: 3D printing buildings) with projects underway to build on the moon and, eventually, Mars with NASA. While the long-term possibility of multi-planetary civilization is certainly inspiring, our immediate priority must be to reduce our carbon emissions and CHOOSE EARTH.
THE SECOND MURAL: Los Angeles
The second installation in the series is located in Los Angeles’ Venice neighborhood. Timed with the Milken Institute’s Global Conference taking place October 17–20, the mural installation aligns with this year’s conference theme “Charting a New Course,” encouraging swift and immediate action to save the planet. We enlisted Beautify Earth to find the perfect wall in Venice, just a few blocks away from the office space where Fifth Wall launched, and hired Kent Yoshimura, a muralist and multimedia creative who has directed content for global brands such as AT&T, Ford, Lego, McDonald’s, and more, to paint the wall.
The Location: 6 Rose Avenue, Venice, CA
The Muralist: Kent Yoshimura (Instagram: @kentaro, Website: www.kents.world)
We also teamed up with BBMG, the branding and social impact agency who helped us with the creative for the Brooklyn mural, to create some messaging for the wall, which reads:
“WHAT PLANET ARE YOU ON? CHOOSE EARTH. INVEST IN CLIMATE TECH NOW.”
Since our first mural (which also poked a bit of fun at the so-called Billionaire Space Race), launched in September 2020, the idea has also gained traction in mainstream media. Bill Gates recently took a dig at Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk during an interview with James Corden, saying: “Space? We have a lot to do here on Earth.” A recent SNL skit starring Owen Wilson spoofed Jeff Bezos, his aerospace company Blue Origin, and other space billionaires such as Elon Musk and Richard Branson, in a segment called “Star Trek: Ego Quest.”
We’re glad we aren’t the only ones who see the irony in this situation, and the urgency to CHOOSE EARTH.
THE THIRD MURAL: Glasgow
The third installation in the series is located in Glasgow’s West End and timed with the UN Climate Change Conference taking place November 1–12. One key theme that reverberated throughout the first three days of the conference was that now is the time for the private sector to step-up and deliver on climate innovation, and that a lack of transparency and reporting will no longer be tolerated. The mural embodies that sentiment for the real estate sector. Investment into climate tech is a critical lever the real estate industry can pull when it comes to decarbonizing its assets.
The Location: 5 Cresswell Lane, Glasgow G12 8AA
The Artist: Bobby “RogueOne” McNamara (Instagram: @rogueoner)
We enlisted Potrayals, a local agency that collaborates with Scotland’s top artists and emerging talent painting street art and murals across Glasgow, to find the perfect wall just a few blocks away from COP26’s Blue Zone. We also hired local street artist Bobby “RogueOne” McNarmara to bring our vision to life.
We also teamed up with BBMG for a third time, to create some messaging for the wall, which reads:
“THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME. CHOOSE EARTH.”
And as the headlines from COP26 continue to surface, its clear there’s never been more urgency to do so…
GET IN TOUCH
- Feeling inspired? If you’re interested in learning more about what we’re doing at Fifth Wall to help the real estate industry eradicate its carbon emissions and Build to Zero? Reach out to us at climatemural@fifthwall.com. We’d love to hear from you.
- Did you get the perfect shot? Don’t forget to tag us @fifthwallvc on Instagram and we’ll be sure to reshare on our channels. And check out our YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, and website for more content from Fifth Wall.
ABOUT FIFTH WALL
- Founded in 2016 and based in Los Angeles, California, Fifth Wall, a Certified B Corporation, is the largest venture capital firm focused on technology-driven innovation for the global real estate industry. With approximately $2.5 billion in commitments and capital under management, Fifth Wall connects many of the world’s largest owners and operators of real estate with the entrepreneurs who are redefining the future of the Built World.
- Fifth Wall is backed by a global mix of more than 70+ investors from 15 countries, including Acadia Realty Trust, Azora, BNP Paribas Real Estate, British Land, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, D.R. Horton, Equity Residential, Gecina, GLP, Hines, Host Hotels & Resorts, Hudson Pacific Properties, Invitation Homes, Ivanhoé Cambridge, Jamestown, Knight Frank, Lennar, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Macerich, Marriott International, MERLIN Properties, MetLife Investment Management, Mitsubishi Estate, News Corp, MOMENI, Nuveen Real Estate, PGIM Real Estate, Pontos Group, Prologis, PulteGroup, Related Companies, SEGRO, Starwood Capital, Toll Brothers, Vanke, and others.
- Fifth Wall believes this strategic corporate consortium represents one of the largest groups of potential partners in the global Built World ecosystem, which can result in game-changing investments and collaborations in promising portfolio companies in retail, residential and multi-family, commercial, industrial, hospitality, and more. For more information about Fifth Wall, its partners, and portfolio, visit www.fifthwall.com.
