Ulrike Schuermann is an experienced international consultant & social profit coach. Her main areas of focus are: corporate social responsibility, sustainable development, business and human rights, income development for social profits.Archive for the ‘social marketing’ Category
from earth hour to earth day
World Environment Awards 2011
Did you know that 2011 to 2020 is the United Nations Decade of Biodiversity, that this year is the International Year of Forests, that 22 April is Earth Day and 5th June World Environment Day, celebrated since 1972? If yes, you belong to a relatively small group of ‘insiders’ and if not, why not?
Earth Hour on the other hand – the one day a year where we are prompted to symbolically turn our lights off for one hour is known by millions around the world. How come the latter has become a global phenomenon and yet directly related, mature environmental awareness raising initiatives lack momentum?
The United Nations has celebrated World Environment Day on the 5th June since 1972. So how can we focus the millions of people who symbolically turn their lights off on rapid action for the environment, including forests and biodiversity?
Apart from collaborating with Earth Hour organisers to ensure it is more than a feel good exercise (more about this here), we can learn and transfer those social marketing lessons. Any social campaign that moves us to change our habits needs to: Read the rest of this entry »
confessions of an Earth Hour sceptic
Saturday the 26th of March was Earth Hour – a social marketing phenomenon that started in Australia in 2007 and is now known around the world. The high visibility of switching off lights makes Earth Hour a corporate responsibility dream. In just 5 short years it has captured the imagination of a global audience with its initial intend to
” make a bold symbolic statement about the critical issue of climate change and to engage Australians in taking action”.
This rapid growth must make it one of the most successful social marketing campaigns globally.
I have been an Earth Hour sceptic since its inception, wondering how on earth switching the lights off for one hour could possibly assist in moving us towards a sustainable lifestyle – although I did switch off our lights on Saturday at 8.30pm. I do, however, recognise Earth Hour’s potential to build on its success and speed up positive social change.
My main concern is that this ‘bold symbolic statement’ let’s us off the hook, offers an easy way out. Read the rest of this entry »