• by Tanya Gazdik , June 17, 2011

Southwest Airlines is teaming with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) for the Conservation In Action Tour.

In honor of the Dallas-based airline's 40th birthday, the group will complete 40 coast-to-coast projects with the help of Southwest employees. Sony Corp., The Coca-Cola Co. and American Eagle Outfitters are contributing sponsors of the tour.

Students from the SCA will travel in a custom-designed Southwest Airlines biodiesel RV. During the summer-long tour, the RV will stop in 25 cities.

The tour officially kicked off June 17 in Dallas. More than 700 Southwest Employees took part in conservation projects at the Texas Trees Foundation, Trinity River Audubon Center, and Rochester Park.

SCA is a nonprofit organization that provides individuals ages 15-25 with hands-on conservation service opportunities. Their members protect and restore national parks, marine sanctuaries, cultural landmarks, and community green spaces in all 50 states.

Southwest is posting about the sponsorship on Facebook and Twitter. The airline also is promoting the sponsorship on a dedicated Web site. The Web site features an interactive map where users can find out about joining Southwest employees and SCA volunteers at stops near them. Photos and videos from each of the stops will be posted throughout the course of the project.

The site also features videos, including one about the "wrapping" of the SCA RV with the designs featuring the Southwest logo. Another video features Southwest Airlines' Casey Welch, a community relations and charitable giving specialist, speaking with the SCA's Mim Easton about the partnership.

"We're supporting the tour with publicity centered heavily around social media, but we'll also utilize traditional media," Welch tells Marketing Daily.

The airline's relationship with SCA dates back to early 2010, when the SCA named Southwest Airlines its "official airline." Southwest employees joined student volunteers at SCA Earth Day service projects nationwide for the airline's Spring "Share the Spirit" initiative.

"The charitable partnership between Southwest Airlines and the SCA will advance the Association's mission of building the next generation of conservation leaders by expanding green service and job readiness opportunities for high school and college-age individuals nationwide," Welch wrote on the Southwest blog. "Southwest is committed to youth leadership and community involvement, as well as our environment, and we believe that this charitable partnership with SCA further exemplifies our dedication to these causes."