Good Graffiti: Geoff Smith at TEDxHoracePark

Having grown tired of the growing vandalism and vulgar graffiti in his town, Smith leverages his experience with volunteers and proposes a radical new way to defeat graffiti: not by beating it, but by happily joining in. He introduces the subversive notion that it's not hard to do better work and that graffiti can be pleasing, enjoyable and rewarding. He's proven that volunteers and artists will gladly step forward to replace ugly and hateful graffiti with their own work. He is hopeful that the idea will spread not just locally, but to other cities and towns as people embrace this creative alternative to the traditional and near-futile scrubbing and white-washing of undesirable graffiti.

This follows upon his successful introduction in 2013 of a program called CHIP (Community Home Improvement Program) that in its first year harnessed over 700 hours of volunteer labor and over $40,000 in donations to help improve distressed homes in the Austin area -- a now award winning program that was recognized by the state wide Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota. He was amazed with the overwhelming response by volunteers and existing organizations. He looks forward to an expanded CHIP program and watching the creative explosion of Good Graffiti in Austin.

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