Our favourite Earth Day campaigns

 

At a time when there is justifiable public outcry about the amount of plastics in our oceans, an international day celebrating the Mother of All seems both necessary and welcome.

On Sunday 22nd April, people from all over the world got together to honour the one thing that gives but never takes: Earth. For businesses, this was the perfect opportunity to show just how much they care about sustainability and environmental policies, so how did they do that? Let’s take a look at some of the most thought-provoking Earth Day campaigns that were launched this week.     Beer Bashing at The Apple Campus  If there is one brand that went big this year it’s Apple. Starting with all of their retail staff wearing green shirts all of last week, the Earth Day weekend was superbly introduced with a live performance by none other than Ziggy Marley.     What’s so green about music? You might think. Well, as Mr Marley announced himself, it was a “set fully powered by solar energy”. An initiative he strongly praised and proudly shared with his community. Double win, we’d say.   In addition, the innovative brand published a free 'Mixtape for Mother Earth' on Apple Music, including earthy songs the likes of Bjork’s ‘Oceania’ and Paul Simon’s ‘Peace Like a River’. Similar initiatives were taken for the iTunes Movies store and iBooks catalogue, giving all Apple users that little extra push to fully engage with the wonders of the world.   But, Apple wouldn’t be Apple if they hadn’t also come up with a new device. Thus, say hello to Daisy, their brand-new recycling robot. In order to make their GiveBack programme a success, this device is designed to take apart old iPhones and retain all parts suitable for second usage. So, if you have any old iPhones lingering around, this could be your chance to contribute to safe recycling and get rewarded at the same time!  In-Store Recycling at &Other Stories  Swedish fashion brand &Other Stories are big fans of recycling and have made it as easy as can be for all their customers to do so. Though they have an excellent in-store recycling policy for both beauty products and clothing all year round, they cleverly used Earth Day to send out a big reminder.   All day long, their huge Instagram channel was flourishing with live stories from stores all over the world, many of which were holding pop-up shops with air purifying detox plants. An excellent example of making the most out of your Insta community!  #NASA4EARTH  Everybody knows NASA, but what is it they actually do? As showing is so much more effective than telling, this Earth Day, the US space agency let the public try out some of their most advanced and innovative tools and technology.   The first tool made available on their website was NASA Worldview, a web-based app which can be used to browse and download high-resolution, global satellite imagery. Using this application, users can get a better understanding of how nature works by watching the spread of wildfires, movements of icebergs and growth of tropical storms from up close. What’s more, users can zoom into any particular area to create an animated GIF and share their finds on social media, always using #NASA4EARTH, of course.   Another application made available is Eyes on the Earth, which gives users the amazing opportunity to join NASA on a proper Earth science mission while simultaneously finding out about the projects they are currently working on. Lastly, the free Globe Observer App gave users the honourable responsibility to help combat Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases. Available on Google Play and App Store, this app could be used to measure and send in temperature measurements and cloud observations for research purposes. With over 10,000 participants in total, we could definitely consider this mission a success.   Saving the world, one stock image at a time  International stock footage company Framepool chose to honour the planet with some so-called ‘Earth Porn’. Containing a range of stunning nature shots, this video is a compilation of their own high-quality footage, which, they say, is an effective way of cutting down on CO2 emissions.   ‘When it comes to Earth, every emission counts. Use stock for eco-friendly money shots.’ That’s right, Framepool is hitting two birds with one stone here, as not only are they showing how everything we do has an impact; they also highlight how their very own product can help. With this, Framepool aptly recognised that climate change inaction has largely to do with poor education and a general lack of ‘knowing what to do’ arising therefrom. Therefore, what consumers need most right now is guidance on what products can help them make a positive change.   It’s unreal, how real it is  For an initiative devoted to raising awareness around climate change, celebrating Earth Day is kind of compulsory. If anything, it is the perfect moment for them to be activists without having to offer any justification.     Partnering up with US Communications agency Red Fuse, The Climate League created this catchy promo video, in which they emphasize the ridiculity of climate change denial by comparing it to people believing in zombies or mermaids. Their goal? Getting people to sign the change.org petition to help bring climate education into every American school, which, so far only 19 out of 50 states have paid attention to.  

So, that's our list.

How did we do? Are there any that we missed? Please let us know.