How social media helps increasing environmental awareness ?
228 retweets, 868 likes. Ice shrinking is not news anymore but people still share it on Twitter.
The actual situation is way more critical than people might realize. As explained in the WMO’s report on global climate in 2015–2019, the pace of climate change is speeding up, negative effects are rebounding and shown in every ecological issue concerned internationally nowadays. According to a survey conducted in France last year, the most important environmental issues we are facing are climate change and air pollution.
Hopefully, people are more aware of the tense string on ecology. The popularity of ecologically friendly products and the appeal to contribute to a green environment have been widely acknowledged. People take continuous active part in real actions either to develop a greener lifestyle or to do small changes for a cleaner environment. The World Cleanup day succeeded in attracting more people to do public space cleanups in its 2nd edition in France this September. Compared to last year, there was a 5% increase in participation and a 10% increase in people who were willing to join. In addition to government initiatives, the public is becoming more responsive and sensitive to ecological changes, especially Generation Z. Indeed, it represents a huge purchasing power, sharing their voice on social media and also pushing brands to focus more on sustainability via new digital tools.
Social media gives us, as individuals and as companies, the space to get involved and learn about different topics and activities from all around the globe. As society evolves, several digital tools are being created and new trends about eco-responsibility are appearing.
From small steps like having a “Do Not Print” disclosure on your email and being able to use e-tickets on all kind of events, to being part of a movement in a virtual way. We can now find different kind of online tools to environmentally involved and in a way, save the planet.
#TeamTrees is an organization that encourages people to make donations to plant trees. Even influential people are participating, such as Tobi Lutke and Elon Musk, which highly encourages the public to take action.
Ecosia and Lilo are two search engines which use their profits for environmental projects. For example, Ecosia plants trees in deforestated areas whilst being privacy-friendly and using servers that run on 100% renewable energy, “every search request removes 1kg of CO2 from the atmosphere”.
With Lilo you can take part in all kinds of projects which can be about the environment, social and health issues or more.
“Every search you make with Lilo makes you earn a waterdrop. You can then choose a project to give your waterdrops. Every waterdrop has an impact!”
Big organizations are also really active on social media. For instance, Greenpeace uses its social platforms to share their news, events and latest figures on the environment. By doing so, Greenpeace tries to make users more conscious and encourage them to take actions and make a change.
They succeeded in creating a real conversation with users, motivating them to interact and engage with green issues, as you can see below.
The internet enables us to buy online eco-friendly products. However, being able to know if the businesses you buy it from are really environmentally engaged, is a whole different story. This is why, some organizations such as Carbonfund, are now specialized in investigating those businesses to make sure their processes are eco-friendly. New eCommerce platforms such as Earthhero.com also appeared, selling only certified products which changes the way people shop.
Since people are becoming more environmentally aware, several trends are spreading worldwide, especially in the digital world. Social networks allow us to defend our ideas and actions freely and share them with our community. People get more and more involved in real life but even more on social media. We are seeing more and more companies and celebrities sharing their ideas and defending their causes via Twitter, Instagram or Youtube. With social media we have the opportunity to relay information faster and to a broader audience than before and we can see a bigger impact.
Greta Thunberg is a great example of someone that has become a global symbol of the environmental cause, through social networks. Indeed, she leads various demonstrations, she creates meetings, she represents in a way the young population, but is sometimes forgotten by politicians. She is really active on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Her #FridaysForFuture gives us an idea of how online trends can make people get involved.
Celebrities also take action, such as Leonardo DiCaprio who is really present on social networks and has shown his determination in this fight by creating his own foundation.
The involvement of populations in environmental causes is also observed through demonstrations all over the world. People want to show their disapproval through these different marches like “Marche pour le climat” in France. French people are more and more involved in this action to make the world move forward.
All these events are broadcasted on social media platforms, often live, to have a stronger impact. Companies have also an important role to play. Since they have a lot of power, they are becoming more and more involved and their role is to reassure customers. Through social networks, they can show more transparency about their products are made of, and about their working methods in general. CSR has become an indispensable subject for many companies.
To know more about how social media and environmental issues are connected, what’s best than asking people who are involved in both and that have created a digital platform for it.
Les Petits Gestes is a blog and Instagram page dedicated to Ecology and Environmental Change with a large audience interested in learning how they can improve their habits by making small changes in their lives and thus help the environment.
“It was in early 2018, after a trip of a year and a half in Australia and Asia. This trip was like an electric shock about the pollution that our lifestyles generate.” Inès Moreau
That is how everything started for Inès Moreau, the woman behind @lespetitsgestes Instagram account.She is followed by more than 33K people, whom she invites to “start a zero-waste life and to find alternatives to anything that has a negative ecological impact.”
We wanted to have her view on environmental initiatives led by brands nowadays, what’s her relationship with them, but also about the drawbacks of using Instagram to talk about green issues. To know more about the project, watch the complete audio conversation we had with her.
In our conversation, Inès highlights the fact that social media is an efficient way to raise awareness among people about environmental issues, as you may already know. However, she gives it a special twist. Throughout her philosophy “every little step matters”, she makes daily eco-responsible habits accessible to anyone, even the less environmentally-involved people. She makes it easy and simple. In her daily Instagram posts, she’s giving practical solutions to her community, such as how to make your own 100% natural liquid detergent to wash your clothes without producing any way waste.
Inès is well aware of the impact she can have on her community. Therefore, each partnership with brands is rigorously analyzed in order to make sure that every product she shares with her community matches her personal values and beliefs.
If you want to learn easy ways to be more eco-responsible, follow now @lespetitsgestes
“For the planet every gesture counts” — Inès Moreau
Today environmental awareness and climate change are a top topic that involves us all and people all over the world are trying to do changes to contribute. Social networks let us be informed, share and be part of movements in a virtual way, but what about actually making a change in our daily lives?
Making environmental initiatives viral and inspiring others to actually change their life is the objective of all the companies and people mentioned in this article.
