A stunt which turned London’s Trafalgar Square into a green meadow has been slammed.
The installation, developed by smoothies producer Innocent drinks, transformed the square into an overgrown garden filled with 6,000 plants, flowers and trees.
For one day only, the London attraction was covered in green plants and a host of brightly coloured blooms - catching the attention of city dwellers, birds and insects.
It was part of the launch of innocent drinks Big Rewild campaign, a commitment to protecting and preserving two million hectares of land.
Trafalgar Square has been turned green for the day
David Parry
The installation comes complete with a replica lion statue covered in live foliage, turf and meadow
David Parry
But some were left angry by the campaign, taking to Twitter to vent their frustrations.
One person tweeted in a reply to innocent: “What a huge carbon cost for one day's greenwashing! Trucking it all in and out again. Why don't you sort your monumental use of plastic?”
While another said: “Come on innocent drinks, you can do better than this. 32,000 plastic bottles an hour is hardly greening the planet.
“Nice gimmick, but that’s all it is. You’re owned by Coca Cola! Worst plastic polluter!”
Ray Mears, a renowned conservationist and wilderness expert, was pictured at the temporary installation, which aims to "reconnect" people with the natural world - and encourage passers-by to consider the benefits of rewilding and restoring nature in the UK.
A team of top gardeners and horticulturists worked through the night to turn the 30m x 20m space into a green paradise - complete with a replica lion statue covered in live foliage, turf and meadow.
Mr Mears said: “It’s wild that in the UK there has been a rapid urbanisation, with spaces greyer and more industrial than ever before. So much so, that people are going days without seeing nature, especially in the cities.
“For city dwellers especially, spending time with nature can be tricky – so that’s why I’m supporting innocent today in their mission to educate on the importance of nature by bringing back the beautiful trees, plants and flowers in one of the UK’s treasured landmarks.
“Rewilding has a multitude of benefits for the ecosystem; from drawing down carbon from the atmosphere, helping wildlife adapt to climate change and reversing biodiversity loss – not forgetting the positive impact to your physical and mental health. It’s time we all embrace a bit of the outdoors.”
