The cryosphere and its environmental importance receive only limited attention. To increase public knowledge and awareness for these important topics and to stimulate enhanced climate action, we have created the Freezy Frame. Freezy Frames are large-scale, see-through picture frames placed in popular tourist destinations with spectacular glaciated backdrops. 

These frames catch the attention of thousands of passers-by and give them the little push needed to look beyond the mountain panorama to actually notice the glaciers. The design, by Swiss Design Award winner Sebastian Marbacher, invites people to climb them, pose, take a snapshot and share their pictures online, using the clearly inscribed “#recognice”, thereby creating a social media movement. 

A QR-code on the frame directs the visitors to a dedicated webpage, where pictures, unexpected etymologies and playful data give engaging background information to the visible glaciers. Encouraged by this, the visitor can further explore our website to learn more about the cryosphere, the science behind it, the imminent thread of rapid climate change and finally discover the specific mitigation actions to protect the frozen heart of our planet.

In July 2020, we installed a first frame on top of Monte San Salvatore, the Top of Lugano!