Content creators have considerable influence on their target demographics, both in terms of what they believe and how they act. Bloggers, YouTubers, and Instagram/TikTok influencers all have a unique opportunity to spread the message of sustainability and motivate their audiences to adopt greener practices. What does it take to be a sustainability influencer? Who are the most influential people in the field of sustainability? And how can you utilize your social media to make a difference in the world?
We’ve been on this sustainable journey through social media for about five years and we’ve been loving it! There’s a true sense of community and care in the world of sustainability. So, we’re going to share some tips, experiences and more.
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What are Sustainability Influencers?
Environmental influencers and sustainability influencers advocate for greener lifestyles and educate their followers about pressing environmental concerns. Many of these thought leaders may emphasize climate action, sustainable fashion, low-impact travel, or even a waste-free lifestyle. They promote a more eco-friendly way of life by providing useful information and connecting people with like-minded companies.
You may find sustainability influencers of all stripes on all your favorite networks. Instagram is a popular platform for influential people in the field of sustainability, but YouTube and blogs are also important. No matter what medium they use, sustainability influencers can get a large number of people to take action and make positive changes.
TikTok is quickly becoming a hotspot for people to share sustainable tips and tricks, attracting a new generation of green enthusiasts.
We’ve done most of our content sharing on Instagram over the years, however, blog posts do reach a large audience for those looking specifically at products and destinations.
Who are the top Sustainability Influencers?
While we (@thedharmatrails) are considered micro-influencers, we have had the opportunity to work with some of the leading brands and companies around the world in the fields of eco travel and reusable products.
Here is an example of working with an ocean-positive brand, 4Ocean, to promote eco actions on Earth Day.
Creating catchy content can help spread the message of an otherwise undesirable task (like picking up trash on the beach).
It’s all in the messaging and about making it fun, shareable, and entertaining.
There are a lot of sustainability influencers making waves on social media, but here are a few to take note of:
Sustainability influencer and activist Leah Thomas (@greengirlleah on Instagram) utilizes her platform to talk to her followers about environmental justice and equality. Leah is well-known for her advocacy of eco-friendly design and her commitment to waste-free living.
Instagram celebrity Kathryn Kellogg (@going.zero.waste) has amassed a significant following by posting helpful hints on achieving a waste-free lifestyle on her famous blog, Going Zero Waste. In addition to her work with corporations on sustainability marketing, Kathryn is a prominent figure in the zero waste movement.
Instagram user Aimee (@sustainablyaimee) is an environmental advocate and content creator who promotes eco-friendly lifestyles and responsible vacationing. Through her videos and photos on Instagram, Aimee inspires her audience to adopt a greener way of life.
Through their Instagram account, @zerowastecouple, married couple Max and Lara share their zero waste journey and advocate for sustainable living to a large audience. Both Max and Lara have worked with companies on sustainability projects and provide useful information for anyone who wants to live a waste-free lifestyle.
What is an Eco Influencer?
The terms “eco influencer” and “sustainable influencer” refer to the same group of online personalities who promote eco-friendly lifestyle and product choices. These thought leaders may focus on sustainable fashion, zero-waste lifestyles, eco-friendly products, responsible travel, and climate change, among other topics. Sustainable influencers and eco influencers frequently use their audiences to raise environmental awareness and inspire others to take action.
It’s all about spreading the word and raising awareness about making more sustainable or environmentally friendly decisions. Through their platforms, these influencers encourage their audiences to live more environmentally friendly lifestyles.
How to Be a Sustainable Influencer
Anyone can be a sustainable influencer and advocate for the planet. In fact, let’s all do it! We love sharing our stories and experiences and hearing feedback and reactions from others who are thinking about similar things around the world.
As a member of the creative community, you have the opportunity to encourage sustainability and motivate others to take action through the material you produce. Follow these guidelines to ensure your influence lasts:
- Gain knowledge: A thorough familiarity with environmental concerns and sustainable lifestyle practices is essential for successfully advocating for sustainability. Gather information and motivation through reading books, following people who are making a difference in the field of sustainability, and keeping up with the news.
- Do as you would have others do: Leading by example is essential if you want to persuade others to adopt a green lifestyle. Take your own advice and adopt eco-friendly practices like recycling and shopping for sustainable goods.
- Connect with eco-friendly companies for a win-win partnership. Promoting sustainability and serving as an inspiration to your audience may be accomplished via strategic partnerships with companies that share your beliefs. Seek companies who care about the environment and their customers and think about creating content or running campaigns with them.
- Put your social media influence to work for environmental concerns by spreading information about pressing problems and calling for solutions. Inform your followers about environmental initiatives and issues you support, and rally them to action.
- Followers are more inclined to trust and interact with your material if it comes off as real and genuine. Tell the world the ups and downs of your own personal sustainability journey.
Sustainability and “Green Washing”
“Greenwashing” is when a company, product, or service makes false or misleading claims about how good it is for the environment. Businesses often use greenwashing as a way to market their products or services to make them seem greener than they really are.
For example, a company’s marketing materials might use eco-friendly language and images, even if the company’s products or practices are not actually eco-friendly. This can make people think that buying the product is a better choice for the environment when, in reality, it is not.
Greenwashing happens in many different fields, like fashion, beauty, and home goods. Greenwashing can be hard for consumers to spot because companies may use vague or misleading language to make their products seem more environmentally friendly.
To avoid being tricked by greenwashing, consumers should do their research and look for third-party certifications or labels that back up a product or company’s environmental claims. You can also look for openness from the company, such as information about their environmental practices that is available to the public.
Influencers should learn about sustainability and think about how their actions affect the world around them, so they don’t do any harm. Influencers have a duty to use their platforms for good and spread the word about products and practices that are good for the environment.
Is social media sustainable?
It’s crucial to be conscious of the ecological effects of social media. Mining, making, and using the energy that is needed to make and power electronic devices can have some very bad effects on the environment. Greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental issues may also be exacerbated by the transportation and manufacturing of products and services marketed on social media.
However, there are strategies to make social media more long-term viable. Using energy-efficient gadgets, green hosting companies, and carbon offsets are all great ways to lessen your environmental impact. Use your influence to spread the word about eco-friendly goods and services, and inspire your audience to do the same.
In conclusion, if you want to be recognised as a sustainable influencer, you need to advocate for sustainability and motivate others to make good changes. You can have a good influence on the earth and motivate your audience to do the same if you take the time to educate yourself, invest in sustainability, work with sustainable products, and promote environmental concerns via your platform.
Some of our Sustainable Influencer experiences
As sustainable influencers, we’ve had the chance to work with some pretty cool brands, like 4Ocean, travel tourism boards, and eco product brands. We can tell you that it has been a wild ride.
Ocean Positive Campaigns
The initial company is 4Ocean. This company sells products made from recycled materials and collects ocean plastic for each product sold. We were delighted to work with them on a variety of content campaigns to promote their products and ocean conservation initiatives. The 4Ocean team was a pleasure to work with, and their products were high quality (still using their reusable mesh clean up bags to this day). Also, we had to inform the public of the importance of protecting the oceans and the dangers of plastic pollution. Win-win.
Tourism Boards
Working with tourism boards that promote sustainable travel is a great way to bring attention to a destination’s hotels, initiatives, and activities that are environmentally friendly. We have worked with a number of tourism boards, like Los Cabos Tourism in Mexico, on campaigns that promote eco-friendly travel. In Mexico, we were able to showcase the farm to table Los Cabos restaurants, sustainable activities, and eco accommodations. It’s been great to show off the beauty and culture of these places and bring attention to the efforts to protect their natural and cultural resources. In addition, we’ve been able to help our community consider environmentally friendly ways to travel and support establishments that are doing their part for the planet. Eco travel is our favourite kind of travel, and being able to do that as a ‘job’ has truly been a dream come true.
Eco Hotels & Accommodations
Eco accommodations are designed to adhere to the eight principles of ecotourism. The more of these principles it adheres to, the more “environmentally friendly” it is (in a sense). Ideally, they should:
- Reduce their environmental impact – energy, water, and waste
- Promote the wellbeing of the local population
- Promote and protect the local ecosystems and wildlife
There are more and more eco accommodations around the globe that are promoting the principles of eco tourism. We love working with these kinds of properties. Not only because they are better for the environment, but because they can also be extremely beautiful destinations.
Find out more about eco accommodation.
Eco Friendly Products and Brands
Last but not least, we’ve worked with companies that make eco-friendly products. These companies make products that are good for the environment and are reusable). We’ve worked with many brands that sell eco-friendly products, including sustainable fashion brands, homewares, and beauty products. It’s been great to talk about sustainability and encourage our followers to make more choices that are good for the environment. We’ve been able to show off how sustainable and high-quality these brands are, and our followers have been inspired to support companies that are doing their part to protect the environment.
Overall, it’s been a lot of fun for us as sustainable influencers to work with these brands. We’ve been able to use our platform to promote sustainability and inspire positive change while also working with brands that share our values. We’re glad to have the chance to work with these brands and can’t wait to see what comes next.
Want to work with us?
We love connecting with like minded people and brands that want to share or highlight sustainability.
Whether you want to learn more about the steps involved in using your social media to promote greener activities or you want to learn more about us and what we do, feel free to reach out.
Aaron is one of the co-founders of The Dharma Trails. His background in marine eco tourism and writing have blended together to create the eco travel platform read by users around the world.
