April is designated as ‘earth month’ at several universities (USC, Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, Berkeley, to name a few) an extension of Earth Day, which is coming up on April 22, 2016, a day where both individuals and companies alike try to think of ways in which they can become more sustainable. This year marks the 46th anniversary of Earth Day, and since the first Earth Day in 1970, more than 184 countries, 5,000 international organizations, and hundreds of millions of people around the world have participated in various events and grassroots campaigns. International companies like Coca-Cola, Honest Tea, Nestle, and Apple, among many others also worked to celebrate Earth Day through various events such as converting old syrup barrels into rain barrels (Segrest, 2015) or partnering with Pakistani non-profit groups to develop water conservation plans (Nestlé, 2015).
Coca-Cola 2015 Earth Day Rain Barrel Project
Nestlé 2015 Earth Day Conservation Partnership
Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental ‘teach-in’ first held on April 22, 1970, to ensure that the maximum number of students could participate and create a mass movement. The idea for the event gained momentum by combining the anti-war protests of the 1960s with growing environmental concerns, rooted in publications like Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring about the effect of pesticides on ecosystems and other chemical waste dumping incidents. Nelson hoped to use the day to bring environmental issues to national attention. On the first day, 20 million Americans and thousands of schools celebrated in the festivities.
Since then, it has become increasingly common for companies to develop campaigns and other public dialogue on Earth Day. Some companies in clean energy or organics sectors may find it easier to develop earth day campaigns, or simply highlight their current endeavors and previous campaigns. But other companies are beginning to join in the fray, touting their own environmental friendliness on Earth Day; for example in the past, companies have highlighted current initiatives, run educational campaigns teaching customers about current sustainability practices or means in which they can become more sustainable (Click here for a list of the top 9 Earth Day campaigns from 2015 compiled by Campaign U.S. )
There are now many online resources delineating different ways companies can use Earth Day to better their brand image. For example, some articles outline different ways that companies can celebrate Earth day, whether via the creation of on-site events, a green team, or company-wide community service initiatives. Others discuss different ways to get the office involved through tree plantings, and partnerships with existing NGO events and other organizations hosting eco-events. In addition, other articles highlight several means a company can ‘green up’ its business practices and workforce through energy tracking and consumption reduction, reducing paper use and carpooling initiatives; citing that companies which lead in sustainability, social responsibility, and good governance tend to have a 25 percent higher stock value.
Given the state of the local environment, Earth Day arguably should be every day, but corporate earth day campaigns are certainly a start. It will be interesting to see how companies celebrate Earth Day this year, so keep our eyes open for what your favorite brands do this Earth Day and what you think about the campaign. Is it Greenwashing or do you believe the company is making a substantive environmental change?
Lastly, what are you going to do for Earth Day? If you’re interested, here is a list of earth day events in Southern California.
Nestlé. (2015, Apr 22). Environmental movement: Nestlé celebrates Earth Day 2015. Nestlé Corporate Media Relations. Retrieved from http://www.nestle.com/media/newsandfeatures/world-earth-day-2015
Segrest, S. (2015, April 21). Earth Day and Beyond: Easy Ways to Help the Planet. CocaCola Stories. Retrieved from http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/earth-day-and-beyond-easy-ways-to-help-save-the-planet/
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