• by Larissa Faw , April 21, 2021

Agencies and brands are commemorating Earth Day this year with a number of initiatives.

MDC Partners’ Forsman & Bodenfors NY is launching “#GreenYourScreen,” which encourages agencies, organizations and the public to turn off their video feeds and replace them with carbon-reducing and awareness-raising static avatars.

Designers across Forsman & Bodenfors’ global network have created a library of avatars, which incorporate a Greener Screen statistic, such as one day of video conferencing is equal to burning a gallon of gasoline or headline like “I Love To See Your Faces, I Just Love The Earth More.”

The avatars will be shared on the agency’s Instagram and Twitter feeds in advance of Earth Day (April 22) encouraging followers to use them for all their video calls. In addition, people can access the avatars and learn more about the meaning behind them on the #GreenYourScreen landing page. (One hour of videoconferencing emits up to 1,000 grams of CO2 but staying off camera can reduce that carbon footprint by 96%.)

This effort is just part of Forsman & Bodenfors’ increased focus on sustainability within the advertising industry. It recently signed a pledge not to work with producers of fossil fuels.

OkCupid, the dating site, has launched its first-ever global badge in honor of Earth Month. The new Climate Change Badge lets users quickly add a “Climate Change Advocate” designation to their profiles by answering “Yes” to the question “Do you want a profile badge to show you care about climate change?” The badge then allows users to show their support and connect with other fellow members who also support climate change causes.

The platform is also teaming with influencer agency Social Studies to tap into its network of eco-friendly talent to help promote the badge and donated $25,000 to EarthDay.org.

Adidas and creative agency Mojo Supermarket have created a one-of-a-kind recycling vending machine that accepts old plastic bottles as payment and offers discounts for new sustainable Stan Smith-branded footwear (which are partially made out of recycled bottles).

The three-step process involves inserting the empty plastic bottle to recycle, the machine will confirm that the bottle is recyclable and give the redeemer a voucher to take to the adidas store checkout as payment.

The Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) is launching “Restore Our Earth” across its OOH footprint during the month to support Earth Day’s 2021 theme to help regenerate the world’s ecosystems. Additional collaborators include Extra Credit Projects (ECP), Sarah Finnie Robinson of Boston University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy (ISE), and Adams Outdoor Advertising.

The digital OOH campaign will run coast-to-coast on multiple screens including bulletins, posters, bus shelters, and Times Square signage.

Similarly, Rapport is joining an array of OOH partners for the global “Insure Earth Campaign.” Pro-bono partners for this project include Adams Outdoor, Alchemy, BIG Outdoor, Branded Cities, Clear Channel, Firefly, Lamar Advertising Company, New Tradition, OUTFRONT, Pearl Media, Place Exchange, SILVERCAST Media, Splicky, Ubimo (A Quotient Brand), UniLED Solutions, Vector Media and Vistar Media.

Part of Rapport Beyond’s eco-friendly initiative, the work directs viewers to InsureEarth.com where they are greeted with the Error 404 message informing them that Insure Earth is not real, and posing the question: “How will you #InsureTheEarth?”

People are asked to share their plans using the hashtag #InsureTheEarth, as well as getting tips on how they can help to prevent climate change from the Insure Earth Instagram and Twitter accounts.

The four-week campaign runs across the U.S. in 15 and in the UK.

Creative shop Mischief is auctioning off a non-fungible token of a cat with proceeds going to a cause helping to eradicate the alarming amount of carbon footprint these digital art pieces create. The agency states a car driving over 100 miles is just 20% of the carbon footprint left by one NFT transaction. There has yet to be a bid that meets $11,600 bid price with the sale ending on World Earth Day.