Penguins’ chilling message about global warming
Festive feathered friends
Liverpool has swapped its iconic Liver Birds for more than 200 larger-than-life penguins in a bid to highlight the dangers of climate change and the polar ice caps melting.
Locations across the city centre have welcomed the influx of individually designed Antarctic residents, with Wirral and St Helens also hosting their own polar colonies.
The 135 5ft penguins – and a further 98 mini 3ft varieties – will feature themes ranging from traditional festive angels and snowmen to superheroes and celebrity designs to the serious message of global warming.
Commissioned by Liverpool Council as a finale to its ‘Year of the Environment’ campaign, the event also has support from the World Wildlife Fund which will be using ‘Go Penguins’ to promote its new Adopt a penguin scheme as well as lobby at the Copenhagen Climate conference next month.
Thousands of specially commissioned ceramic ‘paint your own penguins’ have already been sold, with proceeds going to the Liverpool lord mayor’s charity appeal. Additionally, £150,000 has been invested directly into the region’s creative economy, creating 25 jobs.
The polar parade will run across Merseyside until January 10 2010.
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