Award-Winning Environmental Public Relations

Environmental public relations (EPR) is a complex arena and Landis has worked with environmental/green clients since 1990.

We have worked with clients in all aspects of the environmental category, including land trusts, energy, non-profits, consumer goods and services, autonomous (green) technology and transportation.

Environmental PR requires professionals to understand both the sustainability/consumer side and the category-specific issues such as climate change. Environmental public relations also requires an understanding of governmental practices, climate science and processes such as recycling/repurposing.

Let's Talk Environmental PR

“It’s gratifying to do this important environmental work, but also to work with partners like LCI who know us well enough to position our stories so well with the media, drop everything when opportunity strikes and also take the time to celebrate when things go right.”

Marti Tedesco, Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST)

“Another proud moment for Save the Redwoods League. Take a look at this front-page article and find out how we are protecting one of the world’s last privately owned giant sequoia forests! CONGRATS TO ALL and a shout-out to Landis Communications Inc., David Landis, Ashley Boarman and Polly Winograd Ikonen.”

Jennifer Benito, Save the Redwoods League

“We couldn’t hope for better results than we have gotten working with Landis Communications Inc. over the past several years. Their strategic approach to public relations yields media placements that have been consistently stellar throughout the state and nationwide. They have also helped us create an effective new program, ‘The State of Our State Parks Report Card,’ which surveys California residents about state parks and generates media interest statewide—and beyond—every year. This campaign also helps us gain support for our Advocacy Day efforts in Sacramento. In addition, they’ve helped us establish our statewide Earth Day program as the Foundation’s single biggest volunteer event in markets throughout the state, with media sponsors and coverage in LA, San Diego, the Bay Area, Fresno, Sacramento and beyond. Most importantly, LCI provides us with sage strategic counsel and advice. That helps us continue to successfully position our organization’s messages effectively to our constituents through an ever-changing media and governmental landscape.”

Elizabeth Goldstein, President, California State Parks Foundation

Our Environmental PR Clients

Expertise That Makes a Difference

Environmental public relations requires more than just standard PR tactics. It requires a deep knowledge of:

Climate science
Sustainability practices
Environmental regulations

Our team brings this knowledge to every project, whether we’re launching a renewable energy initiative, promoting conservation efforts or managing communications for environmental nonprofits.

Awards

Environmental PR at Work

The Challenge

Since 1918, Save the Redwoods League protected 216,000 acres of redwood forests from logging/real estate development, creating more than 60 public parks. In 2019, Save the Redwoods sought to protect the largest remaining privately owned giant sequoia property – Alder Creek’s 530 acres in California. The real estate deal closed in August 2019 and Save the Redwoods had until December 31 to raise $15.65 million to protect the property. Save the Redwoods asked Landis to increase awareness of Alder Creek, support the fundraising effort and educate the public about the need to protect redwood trees with a thoughtful environmental PR campaign.

The Strategy

The Alder Creek campaign for Save the Redwoods League had a singular goal: to raise public awareness and support a $15.65 fundraising campaign to protect the largest remaining privately owned grove of giant sequoias, the largest trees on the planet. Among the barriers the team sought to overcome: educating the public about the need for conserving the property in order to raise more than $15 million in a four-month period.

With broad potential support identified, Save the Redwoods asked Landis to activate these potential donors via a strategic media outreach campaign to support one of the largest private donor-focused fundraising campaigns in the nonprofit’s 101-year history.

The Results

Landis generated more than 344 articles – 22% above Save the Redwoods’ objective
Reach: 496.4 million
International coverage: BBC Radio Five Live, the Guardian and news sites in France and Italy
Print coverage:
- Front pages of San Francisco Chronicle and The Mercury News (San Jose), Los Angeles Times, CNN, Forbes, O: The Oprah Magazine, Eco Watch and Smithsonian Online
Broadcast coverage:
- KTVU (FOX San Francisco), KPIX TV (CBS San Francisco), KCBS Radio, KQED (NPR San Francisco), plus numerous TV and radio stations across the U.S.
The $ 15.65 million fundraising goal achieved its goal in just five months. Donations amounted to the highest amount of private funds raised for a single project in Save the Redwoods’ history. Donations came from all 50 states and 30 countries across the globe, with donations ranging from seven figure sums to just $1.

Environmental PR FAQs

What is environmental PR?

Environmental PR involves advocacy, crisis management and awareness-building regarding ecological and conservation-related issues. Given the need for both public engagement and financial support, messaging must be tailored to different audiences. This raises awareness among the general public while also engaging potential donors to drive support. Learn more about environmental public relations here.

What is an environmental PR campaign?

An environmental PR campaign, also known as a “green PR” campaign, highlights an organization’s efforts to protect the natural environment by tailoring messaging to several audiences. It’s important to understand your goal. Are you trying to raise public awareness, or are you trying to fundraise too? Identify who your audience is. Identify expert spokespeople with the chops to prove their authority. You’ll need them for media interviews and potentially for events. Check out Landis’ PR campaign for Save the Redwoods here as an example.

What is sustainability PR?

Sustainability PR features your actions’ immediate and long-term effects on the environment, society and your brand’s reputation. It showcases an organization’s commitment to sustainable business practices, corporate responsibility and building trust.

What is a sustainability PR campaign?

A sustainability PR campaign is tailored to specific environmentally-conscious goals your organization wishes to achieve. It typically includes a plan for managing media relations, posting educational content and conducting community outreach. Sustainability PR campaigns occasionally involve managing public relations around disasters, crises or negative press.

Our Environmental PR Agency is Results-Driven

Named America’s #1 Public Relations Agency (Ragan’s), Landis Communications Inc., specializes in consumer, advocacy and product/service green/environmental public relations. The experts at our San Francisco environmental PR firm can help with a variety of short-term and long-term goals, including educating and building awareness, launching and promoting products, thought leadership programs, fundraising awareness and providing timely and effective crisis management communications.

Public Relations Social Media Campaigns Media & Presentation Training Crisis Communication Content Marketing Influencer Marketing Video Production

Grow Your Business with the Green PR Experts

By partnering with Landis Communications, you join a network of environmental leaders making real change. We’ve helped countless organizations amplify their environmental message and achieve their goals. Fill out our contact form or give us a call at 415.561.0888 and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours. Your environmental mission deserves powerful communications support – let us help you make it happen.

About the Author

Polly Winograd Ikonen

Senior Counselor

Following almost 30 years in strategic communications and marketing roles across multiple sectors, Polly Winograd Ikonen oversees the environmental practice at Landis Communications.

Prior to joining Landis in 2017, Polly spent many years serving in leadership roles at major non-profit cultural institutions, managing teams and projects across the full marketing and communications spectrum: strategic communications, marketing and sales, media relations, digital campaigns, social media, branding and positioning, creative services (photography, web, video, graphic design, publications), audience development, community engagement, customer service and box office, hospitality, special events, leadership transitions and major anniversaries.