Love, Gratitude and Hope

Anna Guyer, CEO of Greenhouse PR, explains the appetite for positive stories is still strong, and that this is giving her hope in such challenging times.

We live in extraordinary times. But what is most extraordinary, is how fast we are all adapting. This is especially true for new ways of working. We’re all embracing apps such as Zoom and Teams for regular business and chit-chat video calls alike. Even our Friday wine club has gone virtual and continues to bring joy to all involved.

Never before has it been so important to have regular contact with people and stay in touch for support.

Of course, we’re very lucky to have the ability to work from home and, so far, the clients that we support are committed to making things work and continue to see climate action and innovation as important issues.

If you dedicate your time and energy to changing our world for the better, perhaps it is important to know that there is still plenty of support for climate action news. It is easy to be overwhelmed by what is happening today, and this can quickly lead you to question what this all means for tomorrow. Especially if matters like climate action are close to your heart. I want you to know, as you read this from home, that I remain hopeful and want to explain why.

Climate Action

This week we have seen an appetite for stories of climate action, especially campaigns that drive positive change on a global and personal scale.

We have been involved in the Carbon Tracker launch which generated more than 600 pieces of media coverage globally, and highlighted the economic reasoning behind investing in renewables versus coal.

We also launched Triodos Bank’s “Don’t Be A Fossil Fool” ISA campaign, which showed how you can make a difference by using your investments and savings for good. You really can avoid fossil fuels by investing with a bank with values; Triodos will never invest in companies that damage the planet, and only supports projects and organisations driving positive social and environmental change. The ISA campaign was covered by most of the nationals and sparked widespread positive feedback.

There is without doubt a hunger for good, positive or climate action news stories – or all three! Journalists may be working differently and more flexibly but their interest remains, and in some cases it is increasing as the news agenda moves on to examine the long-term impact of Covid-19 on reducing global carbon emissions.

Changing Communications

Many articles are making the link between the Covid-19 virus and climate change. In particular, how we have plundered the environment to such an extent that we’re now closer to the sources of disease. A particularly good one is by Jon Vidal in the Guardian, but more are appearing every day.

All of this needs sensitive handling. But it is prompting people to question our relationship with the environment as well as the context of the pandemic. And it’s urging people to consider how we might change and re-imagine a world based on new values for people, planet and profit, as we come out of the crisis.

It’s clear climate action communications and events can’t stop, and we’re witnessing positive and collaborative digital approaches to campaigns. London Climate Action Week is likely to be purely digital in June. We are also working with partners and collaborators to provide PR and digital support for other clients who want to show resilience and commitment to environmental issues, despite the momentous news and sadness around us.

As climate campaigners and communicators, we see the value of being able to operate virtually and digitally – without always running events and big conferences with associated carbon footprints. We’re inspired by the creative responses from environmentalists, campaigners and brands who want to do things differently to show that it’s possible.

Collaboration

We are also embarking on a project interviewing the leading environmental journalists, to gain further insight into what they’re interested in covering, and how we might engage with them over the next six months.

Let us know if you would like to be involved, or if you are interested in the results. We would love to share our insights.