Rediscovering Joy
When so much of the conversation around climate change and environmental conservation is about the scale of the problems and the weight of our responsibility, there’s something refreshingly joyful about Earth Month. It’s an occasion to remember what we’re fighting for, why it matters, and the?many actions already available to us ?to help keep our home planet viable for generations to come.
Setting aside for the moment that there’s still far too many brands that?only?talk about climate action around Earth Month – we assume if you’re reading this newsletter, you are probably one of the people for whom sustainability is in the forefront of many of your business and personal decisions year round. And what happens when you work in sustainability, or care about climate change, is you may start to get numb to the full scale of the issue. It’s?too much ?to think about all at once. And with the overwhelm, it’s all too easy for our motivation to drain away.?
To regain momentum, and recapture the joy we find in being a part of positive change, our team at BBMG participated this month in?The Week , a new program designed to bring communities together – families, coworkers, neighbors, faith groups, you name it – through a shared week-long film watching and discussion series about climate change.
The series of three films and discussion prompts sent us on an emotional journey. First reckoning with the scale of the crisis and its impact on everything from biodiversity loss to food system collapse (“I’m?not sure I want to have kids ?because of climate change.”). Then looking at how we got here (“I don’t feel good about all the disposable stuff in my life.”), signals of how we could live differently (“It seems like renewables are reaching a tipping point.”), and finally a look at the many areas where we can effect change, personally and collectively.
What?The Week?does – with great kindness and empathy – is remind us that we need action on all fronts, but you don’t individually need to do it all, or all at once.?And whatever climate actions you choose to take, find joy in it!?
For some of us, activism is the path that charges us up. For others, making lasting changes in our personal lives through energy use or food choices (and inviting our families and neighbors to join in) gives us joy. For all of us, working with brands and organizations committed to?regeneration ?is work we’re drawn to because it’s empowering.
Our hope for you, fellow Earthling, is that celebrating Earth Month gives you a charge of positive energy to recommit to the daily joy of doing work and living a life you, and your children, and your ancestors to come will be proud of.
Rock on,
The BBMG Team
"It is a magnificent thing to be alive in a moment that matters so much. Let’s proceed with broken-open hearts, seeking truth, summoning courage, and focused on solutions."
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
EVENT
Sustainable Brands’ Brand-Led Culture Change
How might brands and business play a role in helping to regenerate our world? Our Founding Partner, Raphael Bemporad , will be in Minneapolis May 22-24 speaking on the tension between Gen Z consumer behavior and desires and how brands and business can shift culture. Use the code SPK20 for 20% off tickets!
CLIENT NEWS
领英推荐
Just Salad is Now B Corp Certified
The fast casual chain Just Salad is known for its reusable bowls and for being an early adopter of carbon labeling on its menus. Now the brand is officially B Corp Certified by meeting high standards of positive impact for workers, communities, customers, suppliers and the environment. Welcome to the B Corp family, Just Salad!
Beyond the Bag’s New Returnable Bag Pilot
Have you ever forgotten to bring your reusable bag to stores? BBMG has been working with Closed Loop Partners on their launch of a Returnable Bag Pilot in New Jersey, with Founding Partners of their Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag, CVS Health and 塔吉特百货 ! Learn more about the innovative returnable bag system, and how it helps customers “borrow” a bag at stores, reuse it and then return it at the same or different retailer’s stores, helping reduce single-use plastic waste!?
More Ideas on The Future We Want...
How brands can pave the way for sustainable consumption shifts: Most People Have Not Heard of the Circular Economy. Marketers Can Help >>
How to welcome intergenerational collaboration on sustainability: Puma opens up supply chain, sustainability efforts to Gen Z scrutiny >>
How to cede corporate power to benefit the future: Mike Bloomberg is planning to leave his company to Bloomberg Philanthropies >>
How a 4-day work week can be part of your sustainability plan: It’s not just you: The planet wants a 4-day workweek, too >>
Why we need “climate optimism” from brands: Sustainability Creator Leah Thomas Wants Brands to Ditch the Corporate Comparison >>
What We’re Watching
?? Our friends at Kiss The Ground have released a new short film, “Possibilities of Regeneration ,” co-written and narrated by Lyla June Johnston, an Indigenous public speaker, artist, scholar, and community organizer. It looks at the ancient Indigenous roots of regenerative agriculture, the movement today, and how we can apply regenerative stewardship to many aspects of our lives as humans. For as Lyla June tells us, we are the “holy earth surface beings” – we are a part of nature, and we can work with nature to restore our home planet.
?? What do snowboarding and psychedelic medicine have in common? More than you might think. From breaking new ground in old skool industries, to giving us a way to reconnect with the universe we inhabit, this video from the See Change Winter Summit has brand leaders from Burton Snowboards and Lykos Therapeutics , a psychedelic medicine company, sharing how they lead with purpose and impact at the core of their brands.
BBMG is a branding and social impact consultancy that works with leaders who won’t wait on things that can’t wait. Learn more, see our work, and get in touch at?bbmg.com