Earth Day Canada wanted people to walk or bike to work during the month of April to reduce carbon emissions. But people don’t want to walk or bike, because they don’t think individual action has an impact on the environment. So we turned Earth Day into an opportunity for people to better themselves while they bettered the planet with the goal of changing Canadians behaviour to reduce carbon emissions on their commutes to work.
We knew that appealing to people to change their behaviour for the environment’s sake would be largely ineffective. So we embraced a strategy of ‘selfish activism’ and began looking for something we could offer people in return for the ask - an unapologetic ‘What’s in it for me?’ strategy. We honed in on exercise as being the primary reward for walking and/or biking instead of driving.
We started by rebranding Earth Day as ‘Leg Day’—a day dedicated to walking and biking to work, to help everyone catch up on all the legs days they missed at the gym. Our mass awareness campaign featured our lovable Earth-shaped mascot with a swole upper body and disproportionately skinny legs—a visual representation of someone who has clearly skipped too many leg days. This mascot became the face of our campaign across TV, radio, social media, and out-of-home advertising, shifting public perception of Earth Day and encouraging people to think of it differently.
To sweeten the deal we partnered with Strava, and challenged users to join the ‘Earth Day is Leg Day’ Strava challenge and log 10 sustainable commutes in a row. People who participated didn’t just earn bragging rights—they were entered to win epic sustainable prizes like an iGO E-bike, year-long gym memberships, free transit passes, and even a month of unlimited city bike access through our exclusive partnership with Mobi. This strategy of ‘selfish activism’ was designed to make the rewards tangible and desirable, thereby increasing participation.
One of the key features of our campaign was the ability for participants in various cities to unlock free bike-sharing memberships through platforms like Bixi. This not only made it easier for people to participate but also encouraged them to share their achievements on social media, creating a ripple effect that motivated others to join in.
Ultimately, our innovative approach was actually able to get Canadians to rethink their commuting habits, which is no small task. By leveraging the concept of ‘selfish activism,’ we were able to motivate a large and diverse audience to participate, making Earth Day as Leg Day a unique and impactful campaign.
Earth Day is Leg Day significantly exceeded our initial objectives and was able to impactful results, delivering sustainable prizing to Canadians across the country. With over 7.8 million kilometers walked, biked, or run, we achieved +800% than our initial kilometer target, demonstrating the widespread engagement and enthusiasm for the cause.
The campaign attracted 40,000 participants nationwide, showcasing Earth Day is Leg Days ability to mobilize a large and diverse audience through Strava. This collective effort led to the elimination of over 1 million kilograms of carbon emissions, making a tangible positive impact. Furthermore, participants logged 584,666 hours on Strava, reinforcing the sustained commitment to the initiative. The campaign also generated 9,554,694 impressions across Strava and social media platforms, amplifying our message and raising awareness on a national scale.
These results not only met but far exceeded our team’s objectives, solidifying the campaign’s success in driving both contesting participation and meaningful environmental change.
