More than 343,000,000 people have type 2 diabetes—enough to form the third-largest country—because the world has been permeated by highly processed and unhealthy foods. Our film captures the work of renowned food artist Henry Hargreaves as he faithfully creates a map of the world out of these very same unhealthy foods. By highlighting the pervasive nature of the problem and the enormity of type 2 diabetes, we dare to ask: what kind of world are we making?

We used one simple idea to get people talking: the population of people with type 2 diabetes worldwide could form the third-largest country. By facilitating the conversation and rallying diabetes advocates around it, we made The State of Diabetes a pervasive agent in the fight for diabetes awareness. Armed with banners, wild postings, and fliers customized for more than 50 different countries, we took to the streets on World Diabetes Day. Our efforts targeted dozens of United Nations consulates and public spaces in cities around the world, including New York, San Francisco, Boston, London, and Paris. We bolstered support for these efforts via social media by tapping into the vast online diabetes community where we shared content, including our PSA video and country-specific messaging. Together with our coalition of advocacy groups, we have been raising awareness and continue to drive signatures for our petition at thestateofdiabetes.org.

Within a week of launch, 14 individual diabetes organizations on four continents joined our coalition, offering visible partnership and support. Our PSA video was featured on Upworthy.com and ultimately viewed in 128 countries. Meanwhile, thestateofdiabetes.org received visitors from 76 countries and petition signatures from 45 countries across all 7 continents (thanks, Antarctica). Most important, we gave the diabetes community something to talk about that lasted far beyond the 24-hour life span of World Diabetes Day. More than 5 months later the conversation continues, country by country, as we continue to attract the attention and support of even more diabetes advocacy groups around the world.