Patagonia: an exclusive press preview of ‘We the Power’
Sustainable outdoor clothing brand Patagonia is known for its environmental activism and has been creating campaigns and documentaries for years to draw attention to saving nature. So naturally our hearts went faster when we got to pick up the communication and launch of their latest documentary ‘We the Power’. We’re big fans of Patagonia, its climate action and the subject -accelerating the local, green energy transition- fits seamlessly into our sustainability portfolio. The 40-minute documentary tells the stories of locally owned energy pioneers.
Approach: an exclusive, digital sneak preview with the Netherlands’ climate experts
By 2050, the energy supply in the Netherlands must be almost entirely sustainable and CO2 neutral. To achieve these goals, more and more windmills and solar panels are appearing. This leads to resistance from some local residents. This can be done differently: citizens must be given a greater say in the necessary energy transition and must be able to participate in projects of this kind. The purpose of the documentary is to draw attention to the growing movement of local energy initiatives and to show the benefits that this development brings. The film aims to encourage viewers to switch to a sustainable energy cooperative, invest in it or start their own initiative.
To launch the documentary in a fitting manner, we invited experts Marjan Minnesma of the Urgenda Foundation, Siward Zomer of Energie Samen and Annemarie Keiser of Patagonia to an online event about the importance of locally generated green energy. Climate journalist Evert Nieuwenhuis talked to them about the impact of this movement, about the possible resistance of citizens to windmills and solar parks (is it really that big?), and what big companies can do to combat climate change. After the talk, all attendees had the first opportunity to watch the documentary, which was launched to the public the next day. Not to be outdone: with movie snacks from Gebrouwen door Vrouwen.
Results:
Journalists and other interested parties had the opportunity to ask the climate experts questions during the event, which resulted in an energetic, inspiring and substantive event. In addition, this approach resulted in publications right in the target group, including on Duurzaam Ondernemen, Bedrock, Fonk and outdoor platform Bever. Click here for the press release.
"I've been following Patagonia's environmental activism for years, and I find this documentary to be another inspiring example of how companies can contribute to combating climate change: by using their reach to highlight certain issues. Their corporate mission is really: we are here to save the planet. So the fact that we were able to contribute to bringing out this mission and this inspiring documentary, is of course very cool."
Steff van Dorp, PR advisor
