Quit Whining. Saving The World Just Got Easier.

So there you are, working on an ad campaign, and you think, “Hey, maybe the way to engage folks is by adding a charitable or green component in here.” Great. How do you do it? This site called Social Actions might be a good place to start.

(The following is re-posted from Triple Pundit under the Creative Commons license. Thanks TP. Good stuff.)


"One of the reasons cause branding campaigns work so well is because it allows consumers to make doing good part of their regular routine. Someone can buy a cup of coffee and feel a sense of purpose without having to do any extra leg work.

This ease of giving is magnified by Social Actions, a website that has aggregated literally thousands of charitable organizations and programs to connect users with causes, groups and volunteer activities. Through a sophisticated database, users can access a multitude of resources designed to link them with opportunities for taking action without having to labor over research to find the right charity or how to get involved.

Harnessing the power of social media and open source technology, Founder, Peter Deitz has made taking social actions as simple and targeted as a Google search with results as far-reaching as your desire to change the world."

Full article and interview with Social Action’s founder, HERE.

EarthDay.net vs. EarthHour.org

An excerpt from an actual conversation:

“Hey, Earth Hour is coming right up.”

“Yeah! I love Earth Day. I think it’s April 22nd, right?”

“Well, yeah, Earth Day is April 22nd. But I was talking about Earth HOUR. Totally different thing.”

As one of my idealistic friends says, “One day, every day will be earth day.” I don’t think this person knows Earth HOUR even exists.

Please, someone at Earth Hour call someone at Earth Day. Get on each others’ calendars. Until you guys get coordinated, we’re all confused.

For the record, Earth Day is indeed April 22nd. And they would like you to “plan an event,” which is a pretty big ask for a Wednesday.

Earth HOUR is Saturday March 28th. They want you to turn off your lights for one hour at 8:30pm local time. (Seems like this would actually be easier on a Wednesday.)

There are many fine companies planning campaigns around these events, or at least participation. Please comment if you know of some.