integrating sustainability themes into media - Collaborating Centre ...

Print/web 2.0 – national
Good practice examples
General description
Country Germany
Name of the media format Utopia (www.utopia.de)
Media genre Web 2.0 online platform/community
Name of the campaign/project n.a.
Short description of media format Web portal focussed on strategic consumption and sustainable lifestyles that
aims to inspire & support users to consume and live sustainably. The portal
provides information & practical advice on all aspects of sustainability,
encourages user participation in a virtual community and encourages
interactive dialogue to change consumption, production & services.
Short description of
campaign/project
n.a.
Duration Open ended
Background/history Founded by Claudia Langer (former advertising agency CEO) in November
2007 as private corporation that created the non-profit Utopia Foundation.
Motivation/goals • To inspire & motivate people from all social backgrounds to change
consumption & travel habits, lifestyles and mentality towards
sustainability by demonstrating that a sustainable lifestyle can be joyful
and personally rewarding.
• To support people with all levels of knowledge of sustainability issues
to live a sustainable lifestyle by providing orientation, practical
information and advice.
• To motivate companies from all sectors to develop sustainable
products and services for the growing number of critical consumers and
to change their corporate culture from one of “shareholder value” to
“stakeholder value” http://www.utopia.de/utopia/faq - anfang
Sustainability topics addressed • Environmentally friendly living: climate change, energy / resource
efficiency, organic food
• Healthy living: healthy lifestyle
• Social issues: fair trade, working conditions in developing countries,
equal treatment of gender and ethnicities
Strategy to promote sustainability • Create dialogue among users
• Develop participation tools
• Integrate cross-media activities (interaction)
• Make it easy and pleasurable to live sustainably
• Avoid moralising, no proselytising
• Give easy practical advice rather than long theoretical discussion
• Provide concise explanations on how people can “change their lives”
• Provide users an opportunity to connect with peers and mutually learn
how to live more sustainable lifestyles
Tools/activities to communicate
sustainability
Utopia-website
1.) News & knowledge-base on sustainability