How to Make the World More Beautiful.

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Subtitle 1: Transportation and the Morning Glory Vigilante.
Subtitle 2: DC’s Metro Transit System Kills Their Brand by Ripping out Plants

I've always said that it’s those small things, those “little slices of life” that make all the difference and make our world a bit more special. Sadly, obstacles get in the way and good and evil are confused. 

Case in point:

Call him a plant slinger. Or renegade gardener.  Or even a "secret" horticulturist. Call him whatever you like. Has he gone too far? Oh the shock! The horror! Imagine someone planting morning glories in a public place! 

Here is but one of the many articles on the subject. In short, a man has been spending his own money and secretly planting flowers in the DC area for the last thirty years. And that’s been okay. Until now.

Does this make any sense to you? Law abiding citizen, Henry Docter, wants to make the world a  prettier place. He plants flowers that he has paid for in a public place owned by the local transit company. He has been secretly doing these acts of kindness for over thirty years. 

End result? The plants were ripped out, making the area ugly and barren once again. Several hard to believe reasons were given for this action. One was that the plants were dying. 1,000 plants! Every single one of them dying at once despite plenty of rain within 48 hours of digging them out?

Hello Metro transit! Civil communication with Mr. Docter would have been a plus. At the very least, speak with him without the threat of arrest and cries of “cease and desist”. It’s not too late to do so and turn this mess around! Look what this debacle is doing to your brand reputation as public outcry grows. Not a word about it on your website, either. 

How come it was “okay” for the past thirty years and now it’s suddenly NOT okay? Did you even know that Henry Docter planted tulip bulbs in the same location several months ago?

Would you like to regain your solid reputation and make it shine? Why not strike a partnership with Mr. Docter? Bring him on staff if need be and let him organize volunteers to beautify other areas of the Metro transit system that need this. The public will look up to you in awe. You'll get more riders. It’s called giving back!  

I have to say that I am most thankful for a trail near my home where train tracks used to be. Private Citizens do some of the upkeep there; once in awhile I see a very fit woman in her 70’s with an aging pickup truck that’s filled with large containers of water and sometimes plants. 

She helps keep that trail a beautiful place! No one has stopped her. I've said hello a few times. Next time I see her I'd love to talk to her about the joy she brings to those of us walking the trail there. The morning glory photos here are from that beautiful trail

Now, back to our “vigilante”. Let Henry Docter continue to plant flowers.

Perhaps his gallant efforts will spur on others to beautify other areas. 

For more on his story in his own words, click here.

Henry Docter is spot on. His words of wisdom alone make our world a better place:

“The world is not as bad as it is often portrayed in the news.  This is an opportunity for all of us to make something beautiful.” – Henry Docter 

So let's do it! And kudos to you sir!

Oasis asked the musical question "What's the Story, Morning Glory?" in the mid-nineties (see below) Perhaps Metro transit is asking themselves that same question right now. If you need your marketing garden properly pruned, contact us via our website, or say hello on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.