“Lover Nature”: creative agencies try new ways to connect young people with nature

This Valentine’s Day, major names across advertising and illustration have been tasked with solving our increasing emotional disconnect from nature. Two climate-driven creative non-profits (Glimpse and Purpose Disruptors) invited pairs of creatives from agencies like Wieden+Kennedy, Amplify and The&Partnership to create work to get young people to fall in love with nature.

This project is based around studies that show young people in the UK want to feel connected to natural surroundings, but struggle due to environmental, economic, cultural or contextual reasons.

A recent YouGov poll shows 77 per cent of people ages 18-35 would like to be more connected, while another 2022 study revealed that UK Citizens measure low for their feeling of oneness with the natural world (the study pointed out how this has a real impact on the likelihood of achieving a sustainable future too).

While we’re used to the narrative of digitisation separating young people from nature, many agencies used digital means to answer the brief. Two creatives from Wieden+Kennedy created real seeds that allow you to grow plants from the video game Guild Wars 2, like Flax and Crimson Sunflower. “The idea came from the insight that gamers spend so much of their time in virtual nature, but don’t often bridge the gap between the virtual world and the real world,” a spokesperson from Glimpse tells us.

Other creative responses include a fully-illustrated ‘Ecokamasutra’, which features ten bespoke images from illustrator Wei Wu. The pocket guide gives us ten ways we can turn our interactions with nature into sensual experiences. Chapters are called things like Puddle Sploshing, Soil Play, etc.

“Sex has been used to sell pretty much everything in our industry – from cars to jeans to deodorant – but environmental activism has tended to shy away from it,” says Ivan and Sam from The&Partnership. “We soon discovered that pioneers of the so-called Ecosexual Movement were bucking this trend; using sex to reframe our relationship with nature from that of a mother, to a lover.”

Two creatives from Leo Burnett responded with an editorial fashion campaign shot by an ex-Vogue editor that promotes slow living, while another pair from the agency Oliver created a more traditional billboard campaign exploring the transformative benefits of nature. Finally, Amplify created an experiential adventure where coffee menus lead people through micro adventures throughout inner-city nature. You can try out some of the projects and learn more here.

These projects mark the launch of a new Agency for Nature, helmed by Glimpse and Purpose Disruptors, with more work coming soon from a new suite of creative collaborators.