(PRESS RELEASE) BOULDER, CO — Starting on April 22, (Earth Day) 2022, the Pet Sustainability Coalition will launch a 30-day sprint to inspire 10,000 actions that lead to a better future for pets, people, and planet. Using a gamified platform that is fun, simple, and engaging, thousands of pet industry professionals will take earth-friendly action. With easy to complete mini-challenges that require between 2 and 20 minutes, individuals accumulate dozens of micro-actions that aggregate together and spread a united message of care and corporate responsibility.
The 2022 Earth Day Rally marks the first multi-stakeholder sustainability initiative for the Pet Sustainability Coalition with partnership from the Pet Industry Distributors Association, IndiePet, Pet Advocacy Network (formerly PIJAC), American Pet Products Association, World Pet Association and the National Animal Veterinary Council. “Programs like the Earth Day Rally move everyone a step further on their journey toward a sustainable business model and lifestyle while also breaking down competition and tapping into our networks to inspire our largest group ever to take action” says Caitlyn Dudas, co-founder & executive director of the Pet Sustainability Coalition. “We recognize the important ways in which human, animal, and environmental health are connected. This is a great opportunity to put that commitment into action,” says Mike Bober, Pet Advocacy Network president & CEO.
While the addition of collaborative partners will make this ambitious Earth Day goal possible, the Pet Sustainability Coalition community is also building from a highly successful campaign in 2020 that aimed to inspire 1,000 actions toward a more diverse, equitable and inclusive pet industry and ultimately resulted in 6,000+ actions. The Pet Sustainability Coalition member network is a force to be reckoned with, posting double-digit growth year after year through its highly engaged community of action-oriented sustainability professionals.
“The first annual Pet Sustainability Coalition Earth Day Rally is an exciting new opportunity for the pet industry to band together and use its collective energy as a force for good. As the participating company’s employees engage in the challenge, they will become more aware of the many ways, big and small, that people can take meaningful action to combat climate change,” says Stephanie Volo, chief marketing officer, Earth Animal.
“Instinct believes it’s up to all of us to take immediate actions, big and small, to stop and reverse the damage we are doing to the planet. We’d like to take Earth Day as an opportunity to raise our collective consciousness about what we can do here and now to improve our world. We’re setting a goal to complete 800 actions that help us live our purpose, which extends far beyond transforming the lives of pets – it’s also about transforming our planet,” says Gordon Dumesich, chief growth & marketing officer.
“At Champion Petfoods, we are committed to sustainability; it is part of our core Value of Responsibility. As a proud Pet Sustainability Coalition member, we’re excited to be joining their Earth Day celebration to inspire action toward a better future for our industry,” says Nicole Suteau, corporate responsibility manager.
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Mobilizing the industry to take action this Earth Day at zero-cost for all participants is made possible by the generous sponsorships of Pet Food Experts, Earth Animal, Instinct, West Paw, Healthy Pet, ProAmPac, Pet Food Institute, Champion Petfoods, MPM, Primal Pet Foods and more.
How to Participate
Everyone in the pet industry is encouraged to join in and become an “Earth Day Activator”. By joining a team or working on their own, activators will select from a hand-selected list of easy to moderate earth friendly actions that they can complete between April 22 and May 22. As they complete each activity, points are awarded, moving their team up in the leader boards and moving our industry closer to its 10,000 actions goal. Earth Day Activators can share, comment, and post among their team and others to give high-fives and encouragement throughout the 30-day campaign.
Learn more here.
