Red is going green. The iconic feathered flyer of Rovio’s wildly popular Angry Birds game series has been named a United Nations ambassador to help raise awareness for both climate change and practical steps that young people can take to help in the fight against it. Announced on March 20th, 2016, also known as the International Day of Happiness, the UN is asking young gamers to “make the birds happy” by engaging in such activities as recycling, utilizing public transportation, and conserving water, and then sharing those activities on their social media channels with the program hashtag (#AngryBirdsHappyPlanet). And by helping to combat climate change, young people can also help to ensure the long-term happiness of everyone.
One of the strengths of having a recognizable ambassador such as Red is that it affords a wealth of campaign opportunities. Whereas this year’s initiative is in conjunction with the International Day of Happiness, last September saw Red and the Angry Birds help launch a weeklong online tournament that educated players about climate change as they progressed through the game, in addition to raising money and awareness for the issue.
This year Red will partake in a “virtual world tour” to showcase different ways to fight climate change before landing at U.N. headquarters in New York on April 22nd to witness the signing of the historic Paris agreement from last December.
But why stop towards the end of April?
In addition to the International Day of Happiness, the U.N. celebrates a variety of other “days” throughout the year, including World Migratory Bird Day(s) on May 9-10, International Day for Biodiversity on May 22nd, and World Habitat Day on October 3rd which all feel like excellent opportunities for Red to continue his duties as ambassador and bring awareness to environmental issues that will be negatively impacted by climate change.
Similar to the efforts of September’s online tournament, new tournaments or limited edition versions of the game could be released that incorporate information about issues related to each specific day with entry money being donated to causes related to them, along with tips on simple ways to help the environment. In the effort against climate change, every bit helps and the more organizations of every size and ambition, including two giants such as Rovio and the U.N., can find ways to reach audiences where they are and engage them with the things they like doing, the better off we’ll all be.
Image via Flickr courtesy of The Three Sisters at https://flic.kr/p/cgpwoo
