When you look at photos that represent something unusual, the feeling of something unreal is immediately created. This time I went to Mars to create a story and bring the space experience to Earth. Of course, it only looks like that in the photos, but the reality is completely different. The campaign I photographed for Highlander Adventure carries with it a strong story and an even stronger message for all the people of our planet.
In order to discover what is hidden outside our planet, man is ready to go far – more and more wealthy individuals are spending millions and millions of dollars on space tours or trips to the International Space Station, polluting the Earth even more with their space excursions. Human action throughout recent history has left an immeasurable negative impact on our only home. The situation is serious and the future of the planet is uncertain! It is high time for humanity to wake up, realize how much damage it is doing to its only home and decide to change the situation – starting with its own behavior towards nature and the environment. It was on the wings of these thoughts that the idea for the project was born HIGHLANDER Mars on Earth 2023 which will be organized on the island of Pag, and whose start of the campaign is symbolically on Earth Day. HIGHLANDER as a brand – but also as an activity itself – advocates the awareness of the individual first of all towards himself, towards a healthy sports lifestyle, and towards nature and the benefits it offers. Through hiking HIGHLANDER promotes Leave No Trace and Erase the Trace philosophy, care for nature, where participants are instructed not to leave anything behind in nature, but also to pick up the garbage they find along the way, thinking of the legacy they leave for generations that come.
HIGHLANDER Mars on Earth 2023 is taking place from 21 to 23 April 2023 and will be slightly different from all previous HIGHLANDER events. Namely, it is a festival of mountaineering, but also education on environmental protection and awareness of their own existence and self-care, and during the festival there will be a large eco-action of cleaning the sea and coast of Pag, which will be attended by all – organizers and event participants. Part of the funds for the organization of this event will be raised through the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, and half of the proceeds from event registrations will be donated to DPS Zagreb, the oldest diving club in Zagreb and Croatia, which in 2019 won the award for honesty, kindness, humanity and courage – Pride of Croatia – due to its numerous coastal cleaning actions throughout Lijepa Naša, and which together with the event organizers will lead the cleaning action during the HIGHLANDER event.
The goal of this HIGHLANDER campaign is to point out the natural beauties and benefits that the Earth offers us, to strengthen awareness of the importance of pure and untouched nature so that we, but also generations after us, remain an irreplaceable part of our own existence. The donation to the HIGHLANDER Mars on Earth campaign is the first step in the right direction and the Mars mentality – a mentality of no boundaries for what we choose – that can change our habits and lives and stop climate change and save the planet. Just such a planet leaves the possibility for all lovers of hiking, heights and mountaineering tourism to continue to enjoy HIGHLANDER adventures that are available in 17 countries around the world. Therefore, I hereby call on everyone to support the HIGHLANDER Mars on Earth campaign and be the change needed to preserve the Earth, said HIGHLANDER CEO Jurica Barac. During this photo shoot, we made really unreal photos that attracted a lot of attention, which was essentially our goal. Of course, in addition to everything, we had a lot of fun on our Mars trip.