As our planet faces unprecedented environmental challenges, organizations have a unique opportunity to drive meaningful change and inspire collective action. This comprehensive guide provides practical strategies, program ideas, and measurement tools to create impactful Earth Month initiatives that extend beyond April and catalyze long-term environmental stewardship. Whether you're a small startup or a global enterprise, you'll find actionable ways to engage your team, support your community, and contribute to environmental solutions.
This resource covers:
- History of Earth Month
- The importance of Earth Month
- Program ideas and examples from other Pledge 1% members
- Pledge 1% graphics for your use
History of Earth Month
The first Earth Day in 1970 mobilized 20 million Americans who took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to call for environmental reform. Today, Earth Month spans all of April, with Earth Day (April 22) as its cornerstone, and is celebrated in 192 countries.
In 2025, Earth Day is celebrating its 55th anniversary with the theme of “OUR POWER, OUR PLANET,” a call “to unite behind renewable energy, with the goal of tripling the global generation of clean electricity by 2030.”
The Importance of Earth Month
Earth Month is an essential time for organizations and individuals to reflect on their environmental impact and assess their sustainability practices. It provides an opportunity to highlight and celebrate sustainability, conservation, and education efforts while encouraging improvement and further growth in these areas.
In alignment with this year’s theme, Earth Month is a reminder to renew our commitment to renewable energy sources like solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and tidal power, which are crucial for generating clean electricity for all. Furthermore, sustainability is becoming an increasingly important factor for employees, with 70% of workers more likely to choose companies with a strong environmental focus, as reported by Forbes. By prioritizing sustainability, businesses contribute to a healthier planet and attract and retain top talent who share these values.
Organizations that embrace sustainability often discover:
- Innovation opportunities that drive business growth
- Increased employee satisfaction and retention
- Stronger community relationships
- Reduced operational costs through efficiency
- Enhanced brand value and customer loyalty
Program ideas
Earth Month offers endless opportunities for creative programming, from collaborating with local environmental organizations to funding renewable energy grants. To make your Earth Month celebration more impactful, tailor your initiatives to fit the unique context of your organization, industry, and region. By aligning your efforts with your company’s mission and values, you’ll drive engagement and create a compelling, clear narrative for both your team and customers. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Innovation Challenges
- Launch a "Sustainability Shark Tank" where teams pitch green initiatives
- Create cross-departmental competitions for waste reduction
- Develop environmental hackathons focusing on industry-specific challenges
Example: In 2023, Pledge 1% member New Relic hosted Hack for Good. This event brought engineers together in a collaborative workshop setting to build or contribute to open-source projects aligned with the company’s climate strategy.
Education & Skill Building
- Host workshops on personal carbon footprint reduction
- Create a series of lunch-and-learn events for teams to share their green initiatives, programs, or efforts.
- Create virtual tours of threatened ecosystems and how your team can help.
- Launch photography contests showcasing local nature.
Community Impact
- Organize neighborhood clean-up expeditions
- Create community gardens in food deserts
- Partner with schools for environmental education programs
- Find an event near you on the Earth Day 2025 event widget.
Example: Each April, Pledge 1% member Toast holds its annual "Toast to the Earth" program, which involves organizing group volunteering opportunities across 50+ cities globally, focusing on environmental efforts like supporting food rescue organizations, community gardens, and local farms. Through Toast.org, employees also had the chance to build new skills by taking on leadership roles as Local Committee Chairs, further expanding the reach of the organization's mission and connecting employees worldwide.
Workplace Transformation
- Brainstorm and implement recycling and composting system improvements
- Transform unused spaces into wildlife-friendly areas
Tip: Looking for nonprofit partners? Organizations like Candid and Charity Navigator offer comprehensive lists of recommended nonprofits, including impactful organizations such Climate Neutral, Earth Day, and Elevate Energy.
Industry Leadership
- Create industry-specific environmental standards
- Form sustainability coalitions within your sector
- Share environmental best practices and lessons learned
Example: Pledge 1% member DocuSign has been carbon-neutral certified since 2022 and continues to support environmental efforts through its digital solutions, which have helped customers save the equivalent of 93 billion sheets of paper. Additionally, DocuSign has contributed $3 million in funding to protect global forests, supporting organizations such as the Forest Stewardship Council and the Rainforest Trust.
Looking for additional ideas? Consider using ChatGPT or other AI tools like Claude to help brainstorm customized ideas for your industry or organization. Here are a few prompts that may spark creativity:
- "Our organization is in [insert your industry], and we’d like to host a series of events for Earth Month. Can you suggest a week-by-week program relevant to our field?"
- "How can we align our product or service offerings with sustainability efforts during Earth Month?"
- “What engaging social media campaigns can we run for Earth Month that will highlight our sustainability initiatives?”
These prompts can help you develop a tailored plan that resonates with your customers, engages your team, and celebrates the incredible achievements of women.
Pledge 1% Graphics
Your organization is invited to use these graphics to celebrate Earth Month. Click on the image to download.
Join the Conversation!
We invite you to share how your organization plans to celebrate Earth Month 2025! What initiatives are you introducing? Which nonprofit partners will you support or promote this month? Drop a comment below with your favorite organization or social impact project that supports the Earth Month 2025 theme of Our Power, Our Planet?
Michelle Fifis
Community Manager, Pledge 1%
