By: Glaelis Sierra – Account Director at Williams Whittle Advertising

If you’re in the sustainability business, then you should know there are a few windows during the year when environmental awareness is higher. And those are the perfect windows of opportunity to launch your campaign. Whether it’s a PSA, an ad campaign or any other business strategy – time is of the essence. You must think of seasonality to make your message relevant to a wider audience.

When is it a good time to launch?

The major holidays for environmentalists include Earth Day (April 22), World Oceans Day (June 8) and America Recycles Day (November 15). During these holidays a lot of local events are held to engage consumers in doing their part for the environment. Cities schedule cleanup and conservation activities to educate consumers, as well as other events to bring communities together. So, your message will resonate with a larger audience, since environment awareness is higher during these dates.

Here are some examples of social media creative for our client Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) to support Earth Day and America Recycles Day.

Social media creative with a mattress thinking of all the items it could become when recycled. The text reads 'Your mattress has dreamed for years... Find where and how to recycle a mattress near you.'

Make sure you use any hashtag relevant to the event.

Social creative with a mattress dressed like a rockstar to promote Earth Day events road tour. The text reads 'Don't miss the 2019 Rockin' Earth Day Road Tour.'

Social media creative listing the events, locations, dates and times of Earth Day events for the Rockin' Earth Day Road Tour.

Since MRC participates in several Earth Day events throughout the states where they operate, we created a road tour creative to list all the event info. Also, we created generic Earth Day posts to use during the month.

Earth day social creative with a drawing of an earth behind stacks of mattresses with text reading 'Celebrate Earth Day and recycle your old mattress.'

Social media creative with an earth that has a face and mattresses wrapping around it. The text reads 'Save the earth from dumped mattresses. Recycle it.'

Even if you’re not launching a campaign around this time, you should ensure your social media game is strong during these windows. Post about how your brand has helped the environment and your plans for the future. Let your audience know about upcoming events and if you’ll be partnering with any other organization during these events.

Here’s a list of green holidays to keep in mind throughout the year:

Here are special week-long, year-long and even decade-long environmental/earth related events. Keep in mind, the actual dates vary by year.

These green holidays should be used to anchor your campaign to gain maximum exposure and engagement when interest in the category is already high.

Internal Strategies for a Green Business

As you think of seasonality and the perfect timing to launch your campaign, don’t forget about internal strategies to keep your business green. The conversation about climate change and environmental consciousness is stronger every day. Organizations need to make sure they’re doing whatever they can to maintain a green business inside and out. Here are some ideas on how to green your business:

  1. Make green thinking a part of your company culture – Engage your employees in your new vision. Create efficiency goals and make them fun. Make your employees part of those goals, track and celebrate each milestone.
  2. Change lightbulbs – LEDs use far less energy and do not contain mercury and other toxic gases contained by incandescent and fluorescent lights. They might seem pricey upfront, but it will be a good investment in the long run for your organization and the environment.
  3. Eliminate plastic bottles – We already know that plastic is a huge problem for our environment, so why not install a water filtration system in the office? And maybe your next corporate gift is a reusable water bottle for your employees. Great way to stay green and have them promote your organization.
  4. Do business with green vendors – Look for their sustainability guidelines. Check if they use energy efficient vehicles and manufacturing plants that have practices in place to reduce their carbon footprint.
  5. Conserve human energy – Healthy, energetic employees will be more creative and productive. By serving sustainable brain food at meetings such as nuts organic fruits and even dark chocolate might help play a role in maintaining mental acuteness.
  6. Recycle and use green cleaning products – Make sure the trash cans are labeled with what’s accepted in each one. When thinking of a clean office, some of those products might be highly toxic. So, why not switch a greener option? The benefits include improved health, increased clarity, a reduction in allergic reactions, and a healthier planet.

These internal strategies will support your organization’s green goals and will help you live your brand inside and out.